The Lady Sage and the Kazekage's Misadventures
by johnsonmiranda70
Summary: What happens when the tailed beasts are sealed, not in Naruto, but in his fraternal twin sister Shizukara. Now she is the Sage of the Six Paths (an incomplete one). Follow Shizukara, Gaara, and the other Sand Sibs as they navigate life after the war. There will be missions, romance and the occasional annoying Suna council member.
1. The Lady Sage and Cookies

The Lady Sage and the Kazekage's Many Adventures

Chapter 1: The Lady Sage and Cookies

"COOKIES!" Kankuro screamed as he walked into the Sand Siblings' household. He smelled the delicious aroma of chocolate chip cookies coming from the kitchen and he ran straight for said room.

"Kankuro, calm you stomach down!" Temari called after her younger brother, as she too, ran straight for the kitchen, the sweet smell of cookies beckoning her further into to the house.

"_How come when there are cookies around, I am the last one there to get one?"_ Gaara thought to himself as he took off his Kazekage robes, hung them in the nearby closet, and walked calmly to the kitchen, where he saw his two older siblings gawking at the kitchen door.

"Why are you gawking? Wait, let me correct myself. Temari, why are you gawking at Izuka while Kankuro is just staring at her creepily?" Gaara asked in his usual monotone voice.

"Shhh!" was his brother's response. "We're watching the master at work." he continued, speaking in a hushed tone. Gaara just sighed at that, but joined his siblings in watching the spectacle going on in their kitchen.

They were watching Shizukara Haineko Uzumaki baking her well known chocolate chip cookies. She preferred that everyone call her by her shortened name, Izuka, since she thought her name was too long and could be easily be mispronounced. She is Naruto's fraternal twin sister; her being the younger of the two. The thing is, she could possibly pass as Gaara's twin sister since she suffered from insomnia just like he used to and has the insomnia rings to prove it. She also has the same pupil-less eyes like Gaara's, but hers are ice blue, a stark contrast to Naruto's bright blue ones. Izuka was wearing her hair in her usual hairstyle of two braided pigtails that went down to her waist and tied with two rings at the ends with a side bang that hung over her right eye. She was still wearing her ninja outfit; a thin black hooded crop top with a dark purple colored crop tank top with a vertical stripe on the center of it over the black one. She wore black tights with a long, dark purple and black skirt with long slits on both sides of it and heeled sandals. (Think of the sandals that the Sand shinobi wear but with a tall heel) Her chain whip that held her sealed weapons was tied around the waist.

_(Here's some backstory for you readers: Izuka lives in Sunagakure with the Sand Sibs thanks to the Shinobi Exchange Program between the Sand and Leaf villages. Izuka met the Sand Sibs at the Chunnin Exams and her personality was cold and heartless, just like Gaara's at the time. She was trained by Jushiru Fukudome, Danzo's second in command in the Root and he was the one who trained her, molding her into a cold blooded mercenary. Izuka, at the time, was and still is the 10-tails jinchuriki and holds Ryuna, the 10 tailed bat-dragon. And yes, if you are wondering if Izuka is a vampire because of the fact jinchuriki share some physical traits with their tailed beast and her beast is part bat, yes she is a vampire of a sort. She seals her vampire form with a silver rosary (thank you Rosario + Vampire) and drinks animal blood once a month. Let's just say Gaara and Izuka understood where the other was coming from, and became mutual acquaintances. After the failed invasion, Izuka moved in with the Sand Sibs in Suna a month later as part of a peace treaty between the villages. Over the years, Kankuro and Temari got used to having Izuka around and she and Gaara became best friends. Let's just say, the Fourth Allied Shinobi World War really messed thing up for a while. Don't worry readers, as you previously read above, Gaara is fine thanks to Tsunade, but a whole lot of stuff happened and now Izuka is the new Sage of the Six Paths. Thanks to her special genetics, she has all the tailed beasts sealed inside her except the nine tails (who is still safely sealed within Naruto) and the eight tails (who is still safely sealed within Killer Bee). One thing is for sure though, Izuka has DOUBLE the insomnia symptoms thanks to Shukaku, which Gaara fully understands.)_

_(Sorry for the epically long backstory on Izuka, but I thought that you readers should really get to know what her past was like. I'm still thinking about writing a prequel for the story, but if I do start one, I'll let you readers know. __)_

Izuka started to take the cookies out of the oven when she sensed her roommates' presence at the doorway and turned her head to see them there, practically rooted to the floor.

"Oh, hey guys." Izuka said in her monotone voice.

"Don't worry about us. You just get back to what you are doing and did I mention how wonderful it is to have you as a roommate?" said Kankuro. This made Gaara stare at the puppeteer in disbelief.

"Uh huh." Izuka said. "You're still not getting these cookies before dinner." She continued as she took the sweet-smelling cookies out of the oven and placed them on a tray in the middle of the kitchen table with a lid on top.

"Aw man.", said Kankuro, putting emphasis on the n.

"Kankuro, every time Izuka bakes cookies or anything sweet, you always try to sweet talk her in order to get your hands on it. Gaara has more self-control than you in these situations, and he's the cookie lover in the family." Temari said to her younger (and more hungry) brother.

"I can't help it. When my stomach wants food, it wants food." Kankuro told the wind user. "Besides, I bet Gaara only has this kind of self-control when people are around. Trust me, if you put him in a room by himself and the only company he has is a jar of fresh baked cookies, the cookies will die in less than three minutes, tops." He continued.

"Kankuro, cookies are inanimate objects." Gaara told the puppeteer.

"Hey, don't get technical with me." Kankuro growled at the young Kazekage.

Gaara sighed at this response and walked into the kitchen as a small sweat drop came down Izuka's forehead.

"Okay.", said the young sage, "What do you guys want for dinner?"

"Anything that has hamburger steak and has no spinach whatsoever." Kankuro exclaimed.

"I want to have Kenchin soup for dinner." said Temari.

"I'll have anything that involves salted tongue or gizzard. I don't really care," said Gaara. Temari suck a look at her littlest brother. _"He does realize that he just contradicted himself?" _Temari asked herself as she took a seat at the kitchen table. Kankuro just leaned against the wall next to the kitchen entrance.

"Guys, can't you guys agree on one thing for dinner?" Izuka asked the Sand Sibs.

"Izuka, we already agreed that we would have hamburger steak for dinner." said Kankuro.

Temari and Gaara deadpanned at the middle sibling. "We agreed on no such thing." the oldest and youngest sibling said to the puppeteer in matching monotonic voices.

"Okay, okay, so we didn't agree on dinner just yet." Kankuro said while holding his hands out in surrender.

"Well, I'm not choosing anything and if you guys can't decide on what to eat we'll just order take out instead." Izuka said in a slightly defeated tone.

"That's probably the best idea." Gaara exclaimed with no emotion in his voice.

"Izuka, order our usual from Miyure's, I heard they got a new shipment of seafood just yesterday." Temari said and sing-songed the last part. Temari knew that Izuka was a big seafood lover and slightly giggled at the change of expression on Izuka's face. Izuka then proceeded towards the phone to order their usual takeout from Miyure's Resturant.

"Hey, do they have anything with steak at Miyure's." Kankuro suddenly piped up.

Gaara gave his brother an annoyed look. "Kankuro, Miyure's is a chicken and seafood restaurant. They don't serve beef."

"Oh, okay." said Kankuro.

The room fell silent as Izuka called up Miyure's and placed their orders.

There was silence once, but became broken as soon as Kankuro opened his mouth.

"Do they serve pork?"

End of chapter one.


	2. Gangnam Style!

Chapter 2: Gangnam Style!

After twenty minutes of waiting and puppeteer bashing, there was a knock on the door, signaling that the deliveryman from Miyure's was here with the food.

"Temari, you get the door. Kankuro is unconscious right now and you know how much it's going to be a hassle if Gaara or I answer." said Izuka, who was helping Gaara take said unconscious puppeteer towards the living room couch.

"_What did I do to deserve this?" _Gaara said.

"_Well you did give him the knockout kick to the head." _returned Izuka telepathically. _(__**Note**__: Since Gaara used to be Shukaku's jinchuriki and Izuka now has him sealed within her, thanks to Shukaku, Izuka and Gaara have a telepathic link with each other, which they use to have secret conversations with each other.(Don't think negative!))_

"_Seriously?"_ Gaara telepathically said_. "You were listening in again?"_

"_Hey, I didn't listen in. You said that last question way too loud in your head. Besides, I can't turn it off and you can't either. We're stuck listening to each other's thoughts for the rest of our_ _lives. So deal with it_." Izuka retorted.

"_Oh joy."_ Gaara sarcastically returned back.

As the mental conversation between the young Sage and Kazekage continued, Temari grabbed her purse and headed straight for the front door. She opened the door to see a tall, lanky boy of about eighteen years of age. He was wearing glasses and with the many pimples of his face, he looked like he was going through a very bad case of late-age acne.

"Lady Temari, here's your order. It's going to cost you 35 yen." said acne-boy, whose nametag indicated that his name has Hiou.

"35, but our usual always costs 25 yen." Temari exclaimed.

"Not this week, we had to raise our prices to compensate the price for our last shipment of fresh chickens." said Hiou.

"Really? Okay then, but you're getting a smaller tip." Temari said as she handed Hiou the payment.

"Aw man." said Hiou as he walked off the Sand Sibs porch with the money.

Temari closed the door, and with food in hand, waked back to the kitchen. She found Gaara and Izuka sitting across each other at the table, apparently having an intense stare down.

"What are you guys doing?" Temari asked the two.

"Silent discussion." they exclaimed.

"Well, where's Kankuro?" Temari asked.

"Knocked out on the couch." said Izuka as she continued to stare down Gaara.

"Well, you two start waking him up while I go prepare the food." said Temari.

"Huh, might as well." Gaara pointed out and got out of his chair. Izuka did the same and got out of her chair. They walked towards the couch, where they found Kankuro still knocked out, but this time he was holding his pillow like a teddy bear.

"So, how do we wake him up?" Gaara asked.

"I don't know, shock him awake?" Izuka replied.

"Remember the last time you shocked him awake. " Gaara said back.

"I only gave him a little shock. Besides, I didn't know he would jump so high that he would hit his head on the ceiling fan." Izuka replied back.

"Looking back, it was kind of funny." Gaara smirked at the memory.

"You just love seeing your brother in comedic pain, don't you." the young Sage asked.

"Yes." replied the Kazekage. "Don't you?"

"Indeed."

"GAARA, IZUKA, KANKURO, FOOD'S READY!" screamed Temari from the kitchen.

"Foooooooood!"Kankuro said as he work up like he was waking from the dead in search of brains. He then leapt from the couch and ran towards the kitchen. Gaara and Izuka followed after him at a slower pace.

"Well, that was easy." Gaara said as Izuka nodded her head in agreement.

_At the dinner table_

* * *

"So, how was work, guys?" Temari asked as she took a sip of her miso soup. She still preferred Kenchin soup, but miso was a close second on her favorite foods list.

"It was great. I finally upgraded all of Salamander's weapons today and tomorrow, I'm going to start on Crow." replied Kankuro as he practically inhaled his chicken ramen.

"Business as usual." said Izuka in between bites of her shrimp dumplings. "Complaining parents this, whiny students that, stressed out teachers whatever. It was that kind of day."

"Well, that's what you get when your best friend decides to make you the head of Suna Ninja Academy." replied Temari sarcastically.

"Yeah, thanks best friend." Izuka replied in Gaara's direction, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You're welcome." replied Gaara, not really hearing the sarcasm in Izuka's words.

Temari just shrugged. "What about you Gaara? How was your day?"

Gaara stared blankly at his sister. "It was a magical time. I actually enjoyed doing tons of paperwork, listening to complaining villagers, and being bombarded with question from the council members."

Kankuro laughed at Temari's confused expression. "Okay, then." replied Temari.

Kankuro soon settled down and the room fell silent. After a few more minutes of eating, everyone was finished.

"OPPA GANGNAM STYLE!" screamed Kankuro at the top of his lungs.

The scream took everyone by surprise. Gaara's eyes widened in shock, Izuka dropped her plate and it landed on the floor with a painful_ thud, _and Temari jumped out of her chair and landed on the floor on her butt.

At the sight of his sister on the floor, Kankuro broke out into hysteric laughter.

"Kankuro, what the heck was that for?!" Izuka shouted at the puppeteer as she bent down to retrieve her plate.

"The room was so quiet, so I decided to scream out something totally random to see what kind of reaction I would get." explained Kankuro.

"Kankuro, that was not funny." Gaara said to his idiotic brother. "Besides, out of all the things you could have said out loud, you had to say "Gangnam Style"?"

"What, I like the song and the video that went with it." explained Kankuro.

"Why?" asked Temari "I get the lyrics are fun and Korean and all, but the video? Really?"

"What? I really like the video." said Kankuro.

"I bet he only likes the video because of the scene where PSY screams at that woman's butt while at yoga class." explained Izuka.

Kankuro blushed red at that last remark.

"Izuka, I think your right." said Temari while observing Kankuro's red face.

"Well, we all saw the video." said Kankuro, trying to change the subject. "What was your favorite scene from the video?"

"Well," Izuka began. "My favorite part of the video was when PSY was doing the horseback rider while two joggers were walking in sync backwards away from him."

"Oh yeah, that's a good one, Izuka." Temari said "Mine was the little boy dancing in front of PSY in the beginning of the video. What about you Gaara? What was your favorite scene?"

"The dance battle between PSY and the guy in the yellow suit is my favorite. Hands down." Gaara said with a tad bit of enthusiasm in his voice.

"Ha! That guy looked like a walking banana with Lee's haircut." Izuka exclaimed.

Everyone laughed at the thought. Well, mostly everyone, Gaara chuckled while everyone laughed their heads off.

Temari wiped a tear from her eye and said. "I know, right. But, you know what the most ridiculous scene from the video is. The one in the elevator with PSY rapping on the floor while a guy is pelvic-thrusting right on top of him."

Everyone shuddered at the thought.

"That scene was kind of creepy." replied Gaara.

"I agree. When a guy does that with a happy face, it's kind of scary." added Izuka.

"All in all, it was a good video." said Kankuro. "No wonder it has the most likes on Youtube."

"Okay, enough of PSY for one night. Who wants to wash the dishes?" asked Temari.

Everyone else got out of the room, none of them wanting to do the chore.

"Looks like it's going to be me." said Temari in defeat. She collected all the dishes from the table and went towards the sink. As she started washing the first dish, Temari started to hum a tune, and started to sing some lyrics. And I bet you can guess what she started to sing.

"Oppa Gangnam Style"

End of chapter 2.

**Author's Note: Don't you just love "Gangnam Style". I know I do. I'll probably make a lot of pop culture references in my stories. By the way, I do not own the rights to PSY OR GANGNAM STYLE. Please review.**


	3. The Cookie Burglar

Chapter 3: The Cookie Burglar

By the time Temari finished washing the plates, it was ten o'clock. Kankuro and Gaara had already gone to sleep a half hour ago. Izuka, on the other hand, was in her room reading the newest edition of _Guinness Book of World Records_.

"Good night, Izzy." called Temari as she entered her bedroom.

"Good night. And can you please stop calling me by that ridiculous nickname." returned Izuka.

"How come you let Gaara call you Izzy sometimes, but not me?" asked Temari.

"Because I'm boss like that?" Gaara called from out of the blue. Apparently, he was still awake or was woken up by the girls' yelling.

"AW MAN. CAN YOU GUYS JUST SHUT UP AND GO TO SLEEP ALREADY?!" Kankuro screamed from his room.

"Alright, alright. Good night you guys." Temari screamed for the last time before retreating into her room.

"_Wow! And I thought I was the crabby one when it comes to sleep."_ Gaara telepathically said to Izuka.

"_Nah, you're just crabby when you don't get enough sleep or cookies." _Izuka blatantly returned.

"_Oh yeah. Anyway, good night Izzy."_ said Gaara.

"_Can you please stop calling me that?"_ said Izuka in a monotone.

"_I'll try. Don't let Shukaku try anything."_ said Gaara.

"_I won't"_ replied Izuka, ending their mental conversation.

"_Oh Shizukara, you know I won't try any-"_

"_Shut is, Shukaku."_ Izuka bluntly deadpanned at the one tailed tanuki.

"_Okay, okay. You don't need to be so mean about. I swear you're worse than Gaara sometimes." _continued the beast.

"_I'll take that as a compliment."_ Izuka deadpanned.

"_Humph."_ The dejected one-tailed beast retreated back into Izuka's mind, never to be heard from again. Well, for the night.

"_Huh, Shukaku will never give up, will he?"_ asked Izuka to no one in particular.

"_Nope."_ chorused Ryuna (10 tails), Matatabi (2 tails), and Chōmei (7 tails).

_**(**_**Note:** _For the purpose of this story and future stories, Ryuna (new character), Matatabi, and Ch__ō__mei will be the female tailed beasts in the group.)_

"_Yeah, your right. He'll never stop."_ Izuka said to the females as she continued to read her book.

**Time: 1 A.M.**

Izuka finished reading her book and decided to outside to take in a little fresh air. As she was about to turn her doorknob, she sensed a presence moving in the house.

"_Who could be foolish enough to break into the house where the Kazekage and the Sage of the Sixth Paths resides?" _Izuka asked Ryuna, her long time beast and partner_._

"_I don't know, but I suggest you proceed with caution."_ Ryuna exclaimed.

"Okay." Izuka grabbed her chain whip, which held her sealed 12 weapons of the elements, and silently opened the door. She stood in the hallway for five seconds before following the strange, but familiar presence, towards the kitchen. Izuka stopped right next to the kitchen entrance and heard a munching noise.

"Oh crap. Someone's crunching on my cookies!" Izuka whispered to herself "Well, whoever this person is, he/she is not getting out of this house intact."

Izuka started to do a few complicated hand signs. "Ninja Arts: Blank Body Justu!" After saying the jutsu, Izuka's whole body turned invisible.

"Perfect. Now it's time to get my cookie burglar."

Izuka slowly walked into the kitchen, making sure to keep her chakra low so that the stranger wouldn't sense her. She moved towards the table, where she saw a dark figure hunched over the plate of cookies eating away.

"_He's good, except I was able to sense his presence from my room. I wonder who this guy is_." thought Izuka.

Instead of using one of her sealed weapons to stop the cookie assailant, Izuka quietly grabbed a frying pan from the dish rack. She swiftly moved right behind the stranger and hit him dead center on the head.

"OWWWWWWWWW!" screamed the intruder through a mouth of chocolate chip cookies. He then screamed out profanities while rubbing his beat-up head.

"Wait a sec. I recognize that foul mouth anywhere." Izuka went to the light switch next to the entrance and flicked on the lights. "KANKURO!"

The annoyed puppeteer was caught red-handed. He was still rubbing the back of his head where Izuka hit him with the frying pan, but he still had a half-eaten cookie in his right hand. He also had cookie crumbs all over his face and clothes.

"What the hell is going on in here!" screamed Temari as she entered the kitchen wearing a black nightgown. Gaara was right behind her wearing a blue t-shirt and matching blue pajama pants. At the sight of the newly-emptied cookie tray, Gaara gasped.

"He ate all the cookies." Gaara said in a horrified tone.

"Why, Kankuro?" Temari asked the guilty puppeteer.

"Well, I wasn't going to eat them at first. You see, I only came in her to get a glass of water. But, then I noticed the tray still on the table. I took the lid off and saw that all the cookies were there, which meant that Gaara didn't touch them yet."

"So you decided to eat all the cookies before Gaara and the rest of us can? To do what? Protect them?" asked Izuka in an exasperated manner.

"I was going to save some for you and Temari, but I guess I got carried away, again." admitted Kankuro.

Gaara turned towards his brother with a menacing glare. "You are a cruel, cruel brother."

"Hey, you were an even crueler brother all those years ago." Kankuro protested.

Gaara didn't say anything. He just averted his gaze from his brother and looked at the floor.

"Kankuro." said Izuka as she went over to comfort the young Kazekage.

"Sorry Gaara. That was a little harsh." said Kankuro, apologetically.

"It's okay, Kankuro." said Gaara. "It hurts, but it's true."

"Kankuro, you owe Izuka back some cookies." Temari exclaimed as she took the empty cookie tray and put it in the sink to be washed in the morning.

"I can't bake as well as Izuka can, so I'm going to have to do something to pay you some other way." replied Kankuro.

"Okay, how about cleaning out all the bathrooms and the attic in this house for the next two weeks." said Izuka.

Temari laughed as Kankuro paled. "Really?" he asked. "Even the attic?"

"Even the attic?" Izuka smoothly returned.

"But there are sand spiders up there and you know what those things do. They'll leap onto anything that moves." said Kankuro.

"Good thing you don't move much." said Gaara.

Kankuro deadpanned at his little brother.

"Hey, you brought this on yourself." said Gaara. Kankuro looked away, knowing that his brother was right.

"All right, then it's settled. Kankuro will clean out all the bathrooms and the attic for the next two weeks. Now can we please go back to bed? We have a council meeting in the morning." Temari tiredly exclaimed.

Everybody else groaned at the thought of the council meeting in the morning. They all were supposed to be there, but they never liked them, especially Kankuro.

Kankuro finished his half eaten cookie and followed his siblings and Izuka out of the kitchen, turning off the light along the way.

"Good night, everybody. We have a long day ahead of us." said Gaara as he, Izuka, and his siblings went to their rooms for the remainder of the night. Well, early morning actually.

End of chapter 3

**Author's note: Poor Gaara. He didn't get any cookies. As for Kankuro, don't worry, he'll get what he deserves for eating all the cookies. I guarantee it. Bwahahahaha! If you are wondering, the council meeting will be important and funny. Don't worry, folks, the annoying council member I promised in my summary will be annoying people's heads off. Especially Gaara and Izuka. Haha, I'm so cruel. X)**


	4. The Council Meeting: Part 1

Chapter 4: The Council Meeting, Part 1

"All right. Are you guys ready to go?" Temari asked her two siblings and Izuka as they prepared to leave their house for the council meeting that was going to start in an hour and a half.

"Yep and the Sleep Twins are ready to, so let's go already. The sooner we get to the council meeting, the sooner we can get out." Kankuro complained as he carried his council robe over his back.

"Kankuro has a point. The council meeting doesn't start until Gaara arrives and who are you calling "Sleep Twins"?" Izuka asked as she and Gaara turned their heads to the puppeteer's direction.

"Oh sorry. Let me explain. Gaara's Sleepy Twin One and your Sleepy Twin Two." Kankuro said with a grin on his face. He loved to mess with the two sixteen year olds or anyone younger than him, especially in the morning.

"Kankuro." sighed Gaara. "Izuka can't sleep remember. Well, she used to before the war, but even back then her sleeping habits were bad."

'Wow. Thanks Gaara, you just explained practically half of my life story, right there." said Izuka.

"I did?" asked Gaara in a confused tone.

"No!" Izuka deadpanned.

Gaara sweat dropped and moved a foot away from the agitated Sage.

"Okay, enough talk. We have a council meeting to get to." exclaimed Temari as she opened the front door and walked out. The puppeteer, the agitated Sage, and the still confused Kazekage obediently followed the wind master out the door.

* * *

_At the Kazekage Building_

"Phew! It's a good thing we live five blocks away. The sun's a killer today." sighed Kankuro as he wiped a few beads of sweat off his head with the back of his hand.

"Kankuro, it's only 75 degrees out today and you're wearing all black." said Temari as the four made their way down the hallway towards the meeting room.

"So? You're wearing black too. Why aren't you sweating?" asked Kankuro.

"Cause she didn't run after the ice cream man as he was making his weekly midday rounds." Gaara said as they walked. Izuka was only half listening as she was talking with Goku, the four tails, in her mind.

"It's hot!" exclaimed Kankuro.

"When you're wearing your puppeteer outfit with your council robe on top while running after the ice cream man in 75 degree heat, you're bound to sweat." Izuka said simply as she came out of her mental conversation.

"Hmpfh." and Kankuro turned his head away.

The group walked in silence until they reached the doors to the meeting room. That's when they started to hear the old rock music.

_Just take those old records of the shelf_

_I'll sit and listen to 'em by m'self_

_Today's music ain't got the same soul_

_I like that old time rock and roll_

"Is that "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seger?" asked Izuka as she and the Sand Sibs continued to stare down the meeting room door, listening to the old song and the apparent sing-a-long that was going on inside.

"Yes, yes it is." said Kankuro simply.

"This is a change. I bet it's that new council member Mibiku who started this. A lot of weird stuff has been happening around here since Gaara appointed him to the council a month ago." said Temari, whose ear was now plastered to the door, listening intently to the song and the singing council members.

"Weird stuff hasn't been happening here." said Gaara in a confused tone.

"Yes there has." said Temari, Izuka, and Kankuro at the same time.

"What do you mean?" asked Gaara.

"Really Gaara, you haven't noticed at all?" asked Kankuro.

"Nope." said Gaara.

"I've noticed and I don't even work in the building." said Izuka, since her office was at the ninja academy.

"Wow, you must love your paperwork." said Kankuro.

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." said Gaara.

"But, you didn't deny it." said Kankuro in a sing-song voice. Gaara deadpanned at that remark and started to think of ways to get back at his older brother.

"Okay, before this gets out of hand, let me explain it to you, Gaara." Gaara turned his head to the Lady Sage, signaling to her that she had his full attention.

"You see, Gaara, ever since Elder Mibiku became part of the Sand council, the council members have been acting, eh, differently."

"How?" asked Gaara.

"Well" Izuka continued. "The council members seem livelier. You know, less serious."

"They are not as uptight as they used to be." added Temari.

"So much, that they are having sing-a-longs to old rock music in the meeting room." said Kankuro as the song in the meeting room changed to Joan Jett's "I Love Rock & Roll".

"OMG, I LOVE THAT SONG!" Temari squealed as she moved her head to the music, totally oblivious to the stares she was given by her brothers and her pigtailed friend.

The song continued until it finished and the room fell silent." "You think it's over?" Izuka asked Gaara.

"Let's hope so."

But alas, their hope was in vain as Aerosmith's "Dude Looks like a Lady" started to blast throughout the meeting room.

"What the hell!?" Gaara and Izuka exclaimed in unision. They both hated that song ever since Kankuro lip-synched it one night while wearing a long, blond 80's wig that made him look like a drag Pamela Anderson. It was a scary sight, indeed.

Kankuro was dancing around to the song, since he loved it. And Temari, well, she was on the floor after she collapsed hearing the song (Her ear was plastered on the door, remember?).

"Ok. This has got to stop." said Izuka as she went for the doorknob. "Gaara, we need to stop this. NOW!"

"Agreed, the song needs to stop."

"It's not that bad, guys." whined Kankuro.

"Kankuro, you ruined it for me and Izzy when you decided to wear that wig while lip synching it one night, remember?" said Gaara.

"It wasn't that bad." defended Kankuro.

"My brother wearing the same spandex as Lee still looks better than you in a blonde 80's wig." deadpanned Izuka.

Temari fainted at the thought, Kankuro paled, and Gaara looked like he was going to lose his breakfast.

"Izuka, Naruto actually-"

"Yes, Gaara. I saw Naruto wear spandex similar to Lee's and he still looks better compared to Kankuro in that wig." Izuka said as she face palmed at the memory. "I'm still scarred for life."

"I am so sorry you had to see that." said Gaara as he placed a reassuring hand on Izuka.

'It's okay. I've learned to live with the memory." said Izuka. She moved away from Gaara's hand to help Temari up from the floor after she woken up, again.

Gaara took Izuka's place at the door and placed his hand on the doorknob. Kankuro tried to talk his brother out of it, but Gaara cut him off.

"No Kankuro. Don't talk me out of it. We are ending the council's fun right here and right now. That song is just too tormenting." Gaara stared down his brother. Kankuro backed up in defeat.

Gaara proceeded to open the door and you would not believe what he saw.

End of chapter 4

**Author's Note: Poor Izuka having to see Naruto in spandex. Poor Temari having to faint. Poor Gaara in seeing his brother look like a drag Pam-An. Poor 80's wig for being on Kankuro's head. I'm just so terrible, but it makes for a great read. The council meeting really begins in part 2 (next chapter). Don't worry everyone, the annoying council member will show his annoying head in that chapter. I don't own the songs mention above.**

**P.S I should be doing Geometry homework, but I wanted to write. I need to give the reader what they want, right? **


	5. The Council Meeting Part 2

Chapter 5: The Council Meeting Part 2

Gaara turned the doorknob, opened the door, and regretted what he saw.

Inside the meeting room, the council members were all strewn around the room. Some were singing, some were dancing on the table, and some had taken their shirts off and screaming "TOGA, TOGA!" Apparently, some of the council members had a little bit more than just their daily cup of tea.

Kankuro, Temari, and Izuka followed Gaara into the room and were stunned into silence. After a few minutes of astonishment, it was Temari who broke the silence. "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?"

Temari's scream echoed throughout the room, silencing the council members.

"Lord Kazekage, Lady Sage!" exclaimed Baki, who was standing next to a portable stereo with his i-Pod stationed in it. Apparently, he was the deejay of this mini-party.

"Baki, I am going to ask this nicely. What the hell is going on in here and who is behind this?" asked Gaara coldly in his usual monotone.

"Uh, it was Mibiku's idea." said Baki as he pointed his finger to a hunched figure in a corner of the room.

"Mibiku, come here." said Gaara.

The hunched figure moved towards the agitated Kazekage at a sluggish pace. The hunched figure was about 5'9 and his appearance was deceiving. He had a round face, a light gray beard and shoulder-length gray hair. He had a pointy nose and wore round glasses. He was wearing his council robe over a dark red tunic and black pants. He looked like one of those uptight schoolteachers you see in the movies, but in reality, he was one of those guys that loved to party.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama?" asked Mibiku in a puzzled tone "Is something wrong?"

"Well, for starters. Was this little party your idea?" asked Gaara.

"Why, yes. Yes it is." said Mibiku in a proud manner.

Gaara just sighed. "Mibiku, what you did would have suitable if this was a Friday night on the town, but not in the meeting room. The statues of the four previous Kazekages watch over the sanctity of this room. You destroyed that sanctity within one hour."

Mibiku face turned red with embarrassment as realization dawned on him. The other council members hung their heads down in shame.

"I'll excuse your behavior for now, but the next time I see something like this happen again in this room, it will be unforgivable." Gaara said the last word with venom in his voice.

Everyone was either scared or shocked at Gaara's words, except Izuka, who unfazed by Gaara's change in attitude.

"_Impressive" _communicated Izuka with her mind.

"_Thank you."_ returned Gaara. Gaara turned his attention back to the council members. Some of the council members were still shirtless.

"Put your shirts back on and let's get on with the meeting, shall we? The sooner we finish the meeting, the sooner you can get back to partying." said Gaara as he took his seat at the head of the table. Being the Sage of the Six Paths, Izuka moved to her seat opposite of Gaara's. Temari and Kankuro took their seats, followed by the council members.

The first half hour of the meeting was business as usual. The Sand council discussed the usual topics and problems of Suna. After about forty five minutes, the meeting started to wind down, and the end of it couldn't come soon enough. About a quarter of the council was yawning, Temari was texting on her phone, and Kankuro and Mibiku were openly sleeping on the table. The only ones who weren't bored were Gaara, Izuka, and Baki, who introduced the last topic of the meeting.

"Kazekage-sama, this letter came for you and the Lady Sage yesterday. It's from the Wind Lord."

Everyone perked up at the sound of that. Gaara may be the leader of the Sand village, but the Wind Lord was the leader of the entire Wind country. Any news from him was big and was to be considered as highly important.

Gaara took the letter from Baki and read it thoroughly. He then slid the letter to the other end of the table to Izuka. She took the letter and read it for herself.

"Well Gaara?" asked Kankuro. "What does the letter say? What does the Wind Lord want?"

"He wants to meet with us at his palace within the week." said Gaara flatly.

"For what?" asked Temari.

"It says here he'll explain everything once we get there." said Izuka as she placed the letter on the table.

"Does it say anything else?" asked Mibiku.

"Just that what he'll discuss with us will be highly important and that were allowed to let two people come with us on the journey." said Izuka.

"Can I come?" asked Mibiku like a six-year old would. Everyone gave him incredulous stares. Mibiku realized what he said and blushed in embarrassment once again. "Never mind." said Mibiku in a small voice.

"Temari, you and Kankuro will go with us instead." stated Gaara. "We leave tomorrow night."

"Alright!" said Kankuro, Temari, and Izuka in unison. The other council members just nodded their heads in understanding.

"Are there any more questions or comments?" asked Gaara. Everyone shook their heads no.

"Alright, this meeting is adjourned. Good day, everyone." Gaara stood from his chair and walked out the door. Temari, Izuka, and Kankuro did the same and followed the Kazekage home.

The other council members just sat around the table, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Anyone wants to come over to my house to party?" asked Mibiku as he jumped out of his chair.

The other council members just shrugged their shoulders. "Eh, what the heck? We can also listen to music on the way there. Who want to listen to Queen?" asked Baki.

Everyone cheered as Queen's _Bicycle Race _started to blare through the stereo speakers. Everyone then followed Mibiku to his home to party the day away. They simply had nothing else to do.

End of chapter 5

**Author's note: Shortest chapter so far. Finished at 9:36 P.M. I am so tired right now. Next chapter will be up soon. I wonder what the Wind Lord has to say. Hmmm. By the way, I have a poll on my profile page that I hope you voters would check out. It's all about bringing the Sand Sibs and some of the Naruto gang to some of the most well-known reality t.v. shows. PLEASE CHECK IT OUT! **


	6. Ready for the Mission?

Chapter 6: Ready for the Mission?

"So, what do you think is so important that the Wind Lord has called us to his palace?" asked Izuka as she, Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari walked out of the Kazekage building.

"I have no idea. Your guess is as good a mine." sighed Gaara as he took off his Kazekage cloak. It was already three in the afternoon and the temperature was already at 92 degrees. The streets were basically empty as people took cover from the immense heat, trying to keep themselves cool.

"Maybe someone's threatening to kill the Wind Lord and he needs extra security." suggested Kankuro as he too took off his council robe.

"You could be right, Kankuro. Maybe the Wind Lord needs to travel to another country and needs us to escort him there." added Temari as she took off her council robe. For some weird reason, Izuka was the only one who was unfazed by the heat, so she kept her robe on.

"You could be right, you guys. We'll officially know once we get to the Wind Palace." said Izuka.

"By the way, where is the Wind Palace?" asked Kankuro. Out of the four, Kankuro was the only one to never see or set foot in the Wind Palace.

"If I recall, the Wind Daimyo's palace is all the way on the other side of the Land of Wind in the west." said Izuka.

"What! We're all the way here in the east!" whined Kankuro. "That's at least a four days journey on foot."

"Don't worry, Kankuro. We can ride on Izuka's dragon, Ryu_. (Not to be confused with Ryuna. Ryu is Izuka's pet dragon that she found years ago on an old mission.) _Ryu can get us to the Wind Daimyo's palace in less than two days." said Temari.

Kankuro started to perk up at this bit of info, until Izuka crushed his hope with this next sentence.

"Sorry guys, Ryu won't be joining us for this mission."

"WHAT!" exclaimed the Sand Siblings. Even Gaara was stunned at this bit of news. He shared Kankuro's feeling of reluctance at the thought of going on a long four day journey, even if it was to the Wind Daimyo's palace.

"Why?" asked Temari.

"Ryu is not joining us because she's currently not in this village. She's in between villages."

"In between villages?" questioned Kankuro.

"Yep, Lady Tsunade wanted Ryu to help transport supplies to the Land of Tea. She won't be back until next Thursday."

"_Curse you, Lady Tsunade." _screamed Gaara in his mind.

"_I heard that."_ replied Izuka.

"_Forget what I said."_ said Gaara.

Temari sighed in defeat. "Well, looks like walking is inevitable."

"Sorry." repeated Izuka as she took in the Sand Sibs gloomy expressions.

"It's okay, Izuka, and besides, some of us need the exercise." said Temari in an exasperated tone.

"Hey, are you implying that I'm fat?" asked Kankuro.

"I'm not implying. I'm stating the fact." said Temari with a smile.

"Okay, that tears it." said Kankuro as he started to chase his sister all around the street.

"See, you're exercising already!" Temari screamed over her shoulder as she was chased by the irritated puppeteer. Random civilians started to look out their windows and doors at the spectacle that was unfolding on the street. Gaara and Izuka were standing around like innocent bystanders.

"Should we stop them?" asked Izuka as she continued watching the two older siblings run down the street.

"Nah. They'll become tired eventually." said Gaara as he began to walk home again. Izuka followed after her red-haired friend.

"Are you up for chocolate chip cookies tonight? I'm baking." said Izuka as the two made their way down the street.

Gaara smirked at the thought of Izuka baking another batch of chocolate chip cookies. He loved the way Izuka made them. Izuka told him that the recipe was a secret and that she would never tell anyone what ingredients she used in her cookies. Gaara was still curious, but he never cared about the ingredients as long as the cookies were being made.

"You're going to make some to take on the mission, right?" asked Gaara.

"I'll make some for the trip, but Kankuro isn't getting a single one."

"It's payback for eating the last batch, isn't it?" asked Gaara.

"Yes, yes it is." said Izuka.

Gaara smirked and the two continued home down the street. Meanwhile, Kankuro was panting on the ground as Temari was running circles around his forlorn body.

"Aw, tired already?" asked Temari, sarcasm present in her tone.

"You lucked out today, but next time, you are so dead." said Kankuro as he continued catching his breath.

"Like that will ever happen." said Temari. She stopped running circles around her brother and started to run after her youngest brother and her best friend down the street.

Kankuro sat down on the ground and looked up at the clouds that started to pass over the village. "One day" he said to himself. "I will get my revenge on you, sis. This I swear."

* * *

**Two days later**

Izuka, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were all standing in front of the western entrance of the Sand village. Each one had a backpack that carried all their necessary items for the trip. And as usual, Gaara was carrying his gourd, Temari was carrying her fan in a scroll, Kankuro was carrying his puppets in a scroll, and Izuka was carrying her chain whip with her sealed weapons around her waist. Temari looked over at Gaara.

"Gaara, are you sure you don't want to carry your gourd in a scroll? You know, to make carrying your backpack easier?"

"Nope, I'm fine. I've carried my gourd on my back for every mission I've been on and I'm not going to stop now." said Gaara. He was carrying one of those side bags to make carrying his gourd easier.

"Is everybody ready?" asked Izuka.

"Ready as I'll ever be." exclaimed Kankuro.  
"I'm ready." said Temari.

Gaara only nodded his head yes in response.

"All right then. Let the mission begin." said Izuka as she ran toward the village's western gate.

The Sand Siblings followed the Sage out the village, through the gate, and into the desert. However, the trip to the palace won't be smooth sailing.

**Authors Note: What will happen to the Siblings and the Sage? Find out in the next chapter.**

**Reminder: Please check out my poll on my profile. I can't write some of my stories if you guys don't vote. Thank you. **


	7. A Random Moment in the Desert

Chapter 7: A Random Moment in the Desert

Gaara, Izuka, Kankuro, and Temari were running like there was no tomorrow through the hot and dry desert as they made their way west to the Wind Daimyo's palace. They had already run for the past five hours straight and were in the middle of nowhere, the Sand Village nowhere in sight.

Kankuro was the first to stop running. He put his backpack down in the sand and sat on top of it. "Guys, let's take a break. I'm dying out here!"

"Do you really expect us to take a break out in the open with no shade in sight?" asked Temari as she stopped running and backtracked to her brother. Gaara and Izuka did the same.

"We can use yours' and Izuka's battle fans to make some shade." said Kankuro with a sly smirk.

"That's actually not a bad idea." said Gaara as he took off his gourd. "We could all use a small break."

"Alright" said Temari as she put down her backpack. "But were only stopping for a half hour; we can't stay in one place for too long, especially in the desert.

"Agreed" said Kankuro, Gaara, and Izuka in unison.

Temari took out the scroll where she kept her fan, did a few complicated hand signs, and unsealed her fan. Izuka took off a gray jewel from her chain whip and threw it up in the air. As the jewel flew up, Izuka did a couple of hand signs. The jewel responded and turned into a puff of smoke. As the smoke cleared, a battle fan appeared in the sky and Izuka caught it in her hands on its way down. This was the weapon that Izuka used when she used her affinity for air in battle. The fan looked exactly like Temari's except it was gray in color and had three symbols that looked like stretched out _S's _that were also gray in color.

"You know, a part of me always wonders what would happen if you couldn't catch your weapon as it fell from the sky." said Kankuro as he watched Izuka position her fan to create some shade.

"Why would you think that?" asked Temari as she followed Izuka's movements.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just that cruel and I want to see you get hit on the head." said Kankuro as he took out a water bottle from his book bag.

"First, you eat all the cookies. Next, you chase Temari around the street because she said that you're fat. Finally, you want to see Izuka get hit in the head. Kankuro, it's not maybe your cruel, YOU ARE CRUEL!" exclaimed Gaara.

"Hey! In my defense, you would have found a way to eat all of them first, Temari was the one who SAID I'm fat, and Izuka has done some pretty mean things to me in the past." said Kankuro to his brother.

"Wait a sec. What have I ever done to you?" asked Izuka.

"Like you don't know; every time your eyes turn purple, even for a second, something bad happens and it always happens to ME." whined Kankuro.

"Wait, wait. You're eyes turn purple? I've seen your eyes turn different colors with each element you use and whenever you change your appearance to fit that element, but I've never seen your eyes turn purple before." said Temari.

"Well, you see. The thing is, unlike the times my eyes change color when I shift my appearance or when I use the elements, my eyes turn purple whenever I feel a negative emotion." explained Izuka as she took a swig of water from her water bottle.

"Like anger or sadness?" asked Gaara.

"Anger, sadness, even confusion, sometimes; unfortunately for you, Kankuro, your always the one on the receiving end of my purple eyes' power." said Izuka, apologetically.

Instead of responding with a complaint or an angry rant, Kankuro had this to say. "All I can say is that your weird purple eyes sound a lot like Jinx from _Teen Titans._"

"Oh my God, he's right. Wait, you still watch _Teen Titans_?" asked Temari.

"All there's left are reruns, but yeah, I still watch it."

"Awkward." Gaara and Izuka chorused in unison.

"Hey!" said Kankuro. "It's still a good show. Neither of you should be judging."

"Touché." chorused Izuka and Gaara again.

The group fell into an awkward silence that lasted way too long for words. Kankuro, yet again, was the one to disrupt the silence.

"Besides _Gangnam Style, _what is the funniest song you can think of?"

"Kankuro, that question is totally random." said Gaara in his monotone, a bored expression evident on his face.

"I know. That's what makes it fun." said Kankuro; whose mischievous smile could give the Cheshire cat's a run for his money. "Temari, you start. What's the funniest song you can think of?"

"Well." Temari put her hand on her chin in deep concentration. After a few seconds of thinking, Temari spoke again. "For me, it has got to be _Party in the C.I.A_ by Weird Al Yankovic."

"That's a good one." said Izuka.

"I know, right? It's even funnier if you listen to the song, but think of the ANBU in the C.I.A's place."

Kankuro burst out laughing at the thought. Gaara, on the underhand, was mildly disturbed.

"Izuka, your next; what's the funniest song in your opinion?" said Kankuro in between giggles.

"In my opinion, the funniest song for me is _Best Song Everr_ by Wallpaper." said the Sage.

"Didn't he make an animated video along with the real one for that song?" asked Gaara.

Izuka nodded her head yes.

"I remember that video. The scene with the dancing iguanas was my favorite part." said Kankuro.

"I just have one question. Why would the guy name himself Wallpaper?" asked Temari.

"He named himself Wallpaper because he's boss like that. Don't hate on the man." an angry Kankuro exclaimed.

"Alright, alright. Don't get your underwear in a twist." said Temari in a condescending tone.

Kankuro then moved his attention over to his little brother. A mischievous smile crept onto his painted face. "What about you Gaara?"

Gaara was lost on this question. He listened to mostly alternative and rock music, with a few songs in between. He barely listened to any funny songs. Gaara racked his brain, trying to think of one. Then it dawned on him.

"_Canadian Idiot_ by Weird Al Yankovic. Even though I've heard this song once in my lifetime, it's still stuck in my head."

"Really? Didn't expect that." said Izuka.

"The thing is, it was your brother who got it stuck in my head the last time he came to the village to visit you."

Izuka thought about it for a while before the memory came to her. "Oh yeah. That was basically the only song he ever listened to during his visit."

"I think the song is kind of mean, though. He basically criticizes the Canadians in that song." said Kankuro.

"All in good fun, though. I don't think the Canadians mind it." said Gaara.

Temari checked the time on her watch. "Come on guys. We got to get moving. We don't want to keep the Wind Daimyo waiting."

Temari got up from her spot and started to seal her fan back into its scroll. Izuka got up and sealed her fan back into its jewel form and placed it back on her chain whip. Kankuro and Gaara got up and out back on their backpacks. The girls did the same.

"All right, let's go." said Gaara. He started running into the vast oasis that is the desert. Kankuro, Izuka, and Temari followed after him.

"This is going to be a long trip." said Kankuro as he pulled up at the rear of the group. Unknown to them, someone was watching them from the shadows and it wasn't a Nara.

End of Chapter 7

**Author's Note: If you haven't listened to the songs mentioned above, go and listen to them. You won't regret the decision. Continue to vote on my poll, which is located on my profile page. By the way, I love Canada. I have family members living there. **


	8. Side Chapter: Kankuro Singing!

Chapter 8: Side Chapter, Kankuro Singing!

_Don't wanna be a Canadian Idiot_

_Don't wanna be some beer swillin' hockey nut_

_And do I look like some frost-bitten hose head?_

_I never learned my alphabet from A to Zed _

Temari, Gaara, and Izuka were severely annoyed by Kankuro's singing. As the group continued west toward the Wind Daimyo's palace, Kankuro started to sing every single Weird Al Yankovic song that he could think of. He already sang "Like a Surgeon", "Eat It", "White & Nerdy", and "Perform This Way". And as you can see, he was currently on "Canadian Idiot".

_They all live on donuts and moose meat_

_And they leave the house without packin' heat_

_Never even bring their guns to the mall_

_And you know what else is too funny_

_Their stupid monopoly money_

_Can't take 'em seriously at all_

"SHUT THE HELL UP, KANKURO!" screamed Izuka and Temari at the top of their lungs.

Kankuro instantly stopped singing at the two blondes' yelling.

"That song is stuck in my head again." said Gaara in a tired tone.

"Aw, poor you." complained Temari. Gaara just glared at his eldest sibling.

"Kankuro, a while ago, you said that Weird Al Yankovic basically bashes Canadians in that song. And now you're singing it?" asked Izuka as she looked over her shoulder at the face-painted puppeteer.

"Hey! It was Gaara who said that the Canadians didn't mind it and that it was all in good fun." piped up Kankuro.

"_Ugh. Why the heck did I say that?" _asked Gaara in his mind.

"_Because you had an idiotic moment?"_ returned Izuka telepathically.

"_Don't help." _returned Gaara.

The group continued to run through the blistering desert as the sun continued to hover above them, showering the group in its dreadful rays. After about 10 minutes of silence, Kankuro started to sing Weird Al Yankovic songs, again. This time, he was singing his own version of "Party in the C.I.A", calling it "Party in the ANBU".

_I moved up to Suna recently_

_With a plain and simple dream_

_Wanna infiltrate some shinobi land_

_And topple their regime_

_Those men in black with their matching kunai_

_Give them a look and then you'll just die_

_Ninjas got that power_

_Gaara is so sour_

Gaara gave his brother a murderous look, but because Kankuro had his eyes closed, he didn't notice at all and just continued singing. Izuka and Temari just chose to ignore the singing puppeteer as best as they could. It wasn't working.

_I'm feelin' nervous but I'm really kind of wishing_

_For a S-rank mission_

_That's when the red alert came via the ANBU spy_

_And I put my cat hat on_

_Got my purple face paint on _

_And I got my puppets drawn_

"Did he say that right?" asked Izuka. "In my opinion, no, no he did not." returned Temari continued. Kankuro just kept singing.

_So I get my ninja mask_

_Exploding tags_

_My classified S-rank mission_

_Spying on the Sound like yeah, annoying my brother like yeah_

Gaara tried to plug his ears, but to no avail. Kankuro was still singing, annoying the hell out of everybody.

_Memorized all the enemy spies I've got to neutralize today_

_Yeeeaaahhh, it's a party in the ANBU!_

_Yeeeaaahhh, it's a party in the ANBU!_

"Kankuro that last part didn't even rhyme right!" screamed Temari. Kankuro didn't hear her.

_I've done a couple of crazy things that almost gotten me dismissed,_

_Like eat away at Gaara's cookie plate, that really, really got him pissed_

"_You got that right." _ said Gaara inwardly. Izuka smirked since she was slightly listening in to Gaara's thoughts.

_Burn that secret file, buddy, will you_

_I'd tell you why but then I have to kill you_

_You need a quickie confession_

_Yamanakas do mind-reading sessions!_

"Kankuro, the Yamanakas are in KONOHA, they don't live in SUNA!" yelled Izuka. Kankuro . . . well, you get the idea.

"Just let Kankuro sing until he's done. We're wasting our breath and Kankuro is just going to blatantly ignore us until he's done. He's bound to finish sometime." said Gaara in a defeated manner.

"Alright, if you say so." said Temari.

Now, where were we, oh yeah. :)

_No hurry on this daimyo dictator_

_I'll assassinate him later_

_That's when he walked into my laser sights_

_And my poison dart was shot_

_And my poison dart was shot_

_And another villain I got_

_Yeah, we've got our ANBU all over the land_

_From Konaha to Kiri;_

_Payin' the bribes like yeah, killing the traitors like yeah;_

_Interrogating the scum of the lands, we'll break them by the end of brunch_

_Yeeeaaahhh, it's a party in the ANBU!_

_Yeeeaaahhh, it's a party in the ANBU!_

_Need a country stabilized?_

_Look way further, we're not your guys_

_We got matching suits and masks_

_And we'll kill all enemies if you ask!_

_Better put your hands up and surrender right now_

_Or else you die where you stand_

_Stagin' a coup like yeah_

_Brainwashing siblings like yeah_

_We only torture enemies of Suna,_

_So only the 4 other Great Nations will be okay_

_Yeeeaaahhh, it's a party in the ANBU!_

_Yeeeaaahhh, it's a party in the ANBU!_

Kankuro FINALLY finished his song parody. Before he could sing another one, Gaara, Izuka, and Temari stopped him dead in his tracks.

"SING ANOTHER SONG AND WE'LL RIP YOUR TOUNGUE OUT!"

Kankuro paled at the combined scream. After that scream, he was too scared to sing another song, period.

"Good, now that you understand how to shut up via death threat, we can run in peace." said Izuka as they continued on their way to the daimyo's palace.

Kankuro only nodded, now afraid to speak a word.

Meanwhile, the group's mysterious follower was glad that Kankuro stopped singing. The stranger wasn't that close to the group's location, but had amazing hearing. Unfortunately for the stranger, he heard the entire song. And his ears were bleeding because of it.

End of chapter 8.

**Author's Note: It took me a while to come up with a parody for a parody for a song. I do not own "Party in the C.I.A" or "Canadian Idiot". They belong to Weird Al Yankovic. Please enjoy, please review, and please visit my profile page and vote on my poll!**


	9. Revenge With a Spider

**Author's Note: Before I forget again, I'd like to give credit to Narutoluver0002 for giving me the idea for "Party in the ANBU". Couldn't have done it without ya. :)**

Chapter 9: Revenge with a Spider

The group of teenagers crossed out of the sandy part of the desert and into more rocky terrain. The sun was setting in the west, signaling that night would soon fall. Gaara slowed down and stopped running. Kankuro, Izuka, and Temari did the same.

"Let's stop here for the night. We can continue in the morning." said Gaara as he put down his gourd.

"Good, cause I'm tired as hell." said Kankuro as he practically collapsed on the ground in exhaustion.

"Well, at least you can say that you lost 10 pounds from running today." said Temari as she examined the pathetic puppeteer lying on the ground. "Oops, my mistake, looks like you only lost two pounds."

"TEMARI!" shouted Kankuro. He jumped up in rage and started to chase around the wind mistress around the area, again. Gaara and Izuka could only look on in confusion.

"They will never stop, will they?" asked Izuka as she took off her backpack.

"Nope" said Gaara.

"What now?" asked Izuka. Gaara looked around the desolate area.

"First things first, we need shelter. You think you can handle that?" asked Gaara as he continued to observe his older siblings' antics.

Izuka only smirked at her friend. "Watch me."

Izuka walked a few paces away from Gaara. She stopped and bent down to the ground and started to do a few complicated hand signs before stopping.

"Rock Style: Cave Creation" said Izuka as she slammed her hand to the ground.

Slate-colored chakra flowed from Izuka's hand and into the ground. After a few seconds of silence, the ground started to shake. A large piece of rock rose from the ground and formed into a mini-cave. The cave was going to be their shelter for the night and it was able to fit all four of them.

Izuka turned to her red-haired friend. "Good enough?"

Gaara went inside the cave to inspect it. After a few seconds, he came back out. "It'll do."

Temari suddenly came over to Gaara and Izuka. "So, this is what we'll be sleeping in for the night?"

"Yep." said Gaara and Izuka in unison. Gaara looked over his sister's shoulder.

"Temari, where's Kankuro?"

Temari turned around to see that Kankuro was nowhere to be found. She looked to her left, and then to her right, but still, Kankuro was nowhere to be seen.

Temari started to walk to the back of the cave.

"Now where the hell could that lard as-AWWWWWW!" screamed Temari as a spider puppet as big as a fist landed on her head.

"TEMARI? TEMARI!" screamed Izuka as she and Gaara made their way to the back of the small cave to see Temari struggling to get the eight-legged wooden arachnid off her head.

"What the hell?" said Gaara. That's when he heard the maniacal laughter coming from the top of the cave. He looked up to see Kankuro lying on his belly, laughing his guts out. Izuka also noticed the puppeteer on the cave's roof.

"KANKURO, WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS?" she screamed at the face-painted jokester.

By the time Kankuro finished laughing and leapt back down to leveled ground, Temari had finally got the spider puppet off her head, but not without a cost. Currently, her hair made her look like she came out of a wind tunnel. Ironic, huh.

Temari had a murderous aura surrounding her as she murderously stared down her foolish brother. Kankuro turned as white as Sai when he saw his sister's look and immediately started to back away from her and into the cave. Temari threw the puppet to the ground and started to go after her brother, but Izuka held Temari back with her vampire strength before she could make another step.

'LET ME GO! THAT LITTLE BASTARD IS GOING TO GET WHAT'S COMING TO HIM!" Temari screamed as she tried to fight out of Izuka's grip, but to no avail. Izuka was just too strong.

"CURSE YOU AND YOUR VAMPIRE STRENGTH!" screamed Temari as she continued to scream death threats and profanities at her cowering brother.

"One, sometimes it's actually a good thing to be a jinchuriki and two, calm down, Temari. I know you're mad, but you got to get over it for the sake of the mission. Besides, you can get back at Kankuro when we get back to Sunagakure. I don't want to carry a dead carcass throughout the mission." said Izuka as she tried to calm Temari down.

"I DON'T CARE! LET ME AT HIM!" screamed Temari.

As Izuka tried to calm the eldest sibling down, Gaara walked over to Kankuro, who was still cowering in the cave. Kankuro moved his attention from his older sister to his little brother.

"Kankuro, why did you drop a spider puppet on Temari's head? You know she hates spiders, especially the ones that are bigger than a person's hand." asked Gaara as he crossed his arms while giving Kankuro a disapproving glare.

"Well" said Kankuro. "This was all to get back at Temari for calling me fat back in Suna a few days ago. That's all."

"Kankuro, you are an idiot. Don't you remember what happened to the last person who tried to scare Temari with a large spider?"

"No." answered Kankuro.

"Temari summoned a gust of wind so large, that not only did it blow the guy halfway to Konoha, it damaged every single building in its path." Gaara exclaimed.

"Wow, that must have hurt Suna's infrastructure." said Kankuro as he started to move away from the cave.

"It certainly did." said Gaara, recalling the memory.

"You know, I could have blown him away to Konoha, and possibly to Kiri, if I had Izuka's powers." said Temari as she walked up next to Gaara. Kankuro immediately cowered back into the cave.

"Good thing you don't have my powers." said Izuka as she walked up to Temari. Gaara turned to his sister. "Have you really calmed down?"

"Yes Gaara, I've calmed down. Besides, I can always get Kankuro back in a more sadistic way when we get back to Suna." said Temari as a creepy smile appeared on her face, which made Kankuro faint at the sight of it.

Izuka turned her attention to the puppeteer on the floor. She bent down and checked his pulse. "Yep, Kankuro is officially out cold."

"Good, let's eat. I'm starving from all that running and screaming." said Temari as she grabbed her backpack from outside the cave. She walked into the cave and started to look for food within her bag. Gaara and Izuka did the same.

"So, how are we going to wake up Kankuro this time? He needs to eat too you know." said Gaara as he fished out a sandwich from his bag.

"Three words." said Izuka as she took out a package of rice dumplings from her bag. "KANKURO, FOOD'S READY!"

"FOOOOOOODDDDDDD!" groaned Kankuro as he woke up like a zombie, again. But this time, he spoke one sentence extra. "WHERE ARE GAARA'S COOKIES!"

Apparently, Kankuro was half asleep. He then groggily got up from his spot and went straight for Gaara's backpack, which held a five-day supply of cookies.

"COOKIES!" screamed Kankuro as he grabbed for Gaara's backpack.

"Oh hell no!" You are not getting my cookies!" screamed Gaara. He snatched his bag away from Kankuro and ran out the cave. Kankuro followed Gaara zombie-style out the cave. As soon as he got out the cave, he quickened his pace.

"COOKIES!"

"You are not getting my chocolate chip cookies, you arse!"

Temari and Izuka were still in the cave, eating and listening to the screaming match between the zombie-like puppeteer and the cookie-loving sand manipulator.

Temari turned to her pig-tailed friend. "Did Gaara just say arse?" she asked.

Izuka turned to Temari. "Yep."

"Izuka, what does arse mean?"

"It's Irish for ass."

"Oh. That makes sense." said Temari as she turned her attention back on her brothers.

"Should we stop them?" asked Izuka

"Nope." said Temari.

"Good enough for me." said Izuka, who finished off her rice dumplings.

"COOKIES!" screamed Kankuro.

"NEVER!" screamed Gaara in return.

As the chaos between the two brothers ensued, the mysterious follower was laughing his arse off quietly behind a nearby sand dune. How his prescence was not detected by the Lady Sage, Kazekage, Wind Mistress, and Puppeteer still remains a mystery. For now.

End of chapter 9

**Author's Note: Kankuro wants cookies. Will he get them away from Gaara? Will Gaara eat them first? And who is this mysterious follower? All will be revealed next chapter. Please visit my profile. Please vote on my poll. And please review. I want to hear your constructive criticism. X) **

**P.S. Shout out to anyone who has Irish roots or ancestry. Oh Ireland, you are the home of potatoes, gingers, beer, and the word arse. You must be one fun country. :)**


	10. The Stranger is Revealed

Chapter 10: The Stranger is Revealed

It was currently midnight in the desert. The Sand Siblings were all asleep in the cave while Izuka was awake, being the resident lookout. Kankuro was asleep on the floor and was using his cat hat as a pillow. Temari was in a sleeping bag next to him, mumbling something about how Shikamaru's head looks like a pineapple. Gaara was sitting up against the cave's wall, sleeping and dreaming about Izuka's chocolate chip cookies.

"Oh, Izzy, I love your chocolate chip cookies. They're so warm and gooey." said Gaara as he spoke in his dreams.

Izuka turned her head to the sleeping Kazekage's direction.

"Hmm. It's good to know my baking skills are appreciated by people." she said to no one in particular.

"_You're baking skills are amazing. Even though I'm sealed up inside you, I can still smell your delicious creations."_ cried two-tailed Matatabi.

"_Have you ever tried making a banana-cream pie?"_ asked four-tailed Goku, who even though had the build of a gorilla, primarily resembled a monkey, just with sharper teeth.

"_Thanks for the complement, Matatabi, and no Goku, I have never tried to make a banana cream pie."_ replied Izuka.

"_You should. I heard they're delicious!"_ cried Goku.

"_SHUT UP, GOKU!"_ cried Matatabi and all the other tailed beasts that were sealed inside Izuka. They were all severely annoyed by Goku whenever he talked about bananas or any other banana-related foods.

"_YOU CAN'T DENY THE BANANA! OUCH! CH__O__MEI, YOU JUST PINCHED MY TAIL!"_ screamed Goku at the seven-tailed beetle.

"_HEY! WE'RE SICK AND TIRED OF YOU TALKING ABOUT BANANAS ALL THE TIME!"_ screamed Chōmei.

"_I'LL NEVER STOP TALKING ABOUT BANANAS!"_ screamed back Goku.

"_SAIKEN, DRENCH HIM IN YOUR SLIME!"_ called Kokuō, the five-tailed horse, who has a dolphin head. (No lie.)

Saiken, the six-tailed slug, happily obliged and squirted his slime onto Goku's fur. Then the other tailed beasts started to attack.

"_GET BACK, YOU BEASTS!" BANANAS WILL ALAWAYS RULE! FEAR THE BANANA!"_ screamed Goku as his brother and sister beasts continued to attack him within Izuka's mind.

"_OH, SHUT THE HELL UP!"_ cried Isobu, the three-tailed turtle.

Matatabi turned her attention back towards Izuka_. "If you excuse me, Lady Sage, I have brother_ _to burn."_ Matatabi specialized in fire, so it would be no problem for her.

"_Go right ahead."_ said Izuka, who currently didn't care about the current situation that was happening inside her.

"_Thank you."_ said Matatabi. She turned her attention back to her fellow tailed beasts. _"WHO WANTS TO SEE A BURNT MONKEY?"_

"_WE DO!"_ screamed all the beasts, except Goku, who was cowering in a corner of Izuka's sub-consciousness.

"_AWWWWWWWWWWW!"_

Izuka chose to tune out after that. To distract herself from the ongoing carnage within her mind, Izuka took out her copy of _Ripley's Believe it or Not!_

**Few hours later**

It was currently 3:15 in the morning. The Sand Siblings were still asleep, while Izuka was still keeping watch over the area. Izuka had finished reading her book an hour ago and was now playing with her necklace. The necklace was a choker with a choker with a purple amulet in the shape of a four-petal flower. The rosary that kept Izuka's vampire-like side sealed hung below the amulet. Currently, Izuka was bored out of her mind.

"_Something the matter?"_ asked Ryuna.

"_It's nothing. I'm just thinking about what it would be like if I wasn't your jinchuriki, Ryuna." _replied Izuka in her mind.

"Now, WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU THINK THAT CRAP?!" cried Ryuna.

"_Calm down, Ryuna. You're very tolerable, obedient, and fun for a tailed beast. It's just that I was wondering if I would be the same person as I am now if I wasn't a jinchuriki."_ said Izuka.

"_Physically, you wouldn't be as fast or strong as you are now. Mentally, you would probably less cold and cynical and more social."_ said Ryuna.

"_I'm not cold and cynical."_ said Izuka in a cold deadpan. (Irony)

"_Well, not as much now as you were before and during the Chunnin Exams where you met Gaara, Izuka, and Kankuro."_ suggested Ryuna.

"_In my opinion, you were the meanest, coldest and most cynical person in that exam besides Gaara."_ added Shukaku.

"_Shukaku, WHAT THE HELL HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT BUTTING INTO MY FREAKING COVERSATIONS!"_ roared Ryuna.

"_SORRY!"_ screamed Shukaku.

"_If you excuse me Izuka, I'm going to teach my one-tailed brother a lesson in pain and humiliation."_ said Ryuna in a calm tone.

"_Okay."_ said Izuka as she went back to playing with her necklace.

"_FOR ALL THAT'S GOOD AND SANDY, PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"_ screamed Shukaku.

All that was heard next was screams, whispers, and maniacal laughter.

"_Hm, looks like Ryuna's having fun at Shukaku's expense. Serves him right."_

As Izuka resumed playing with her necklace, a small sandstorm suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"What the hell?" asked Izuka. She got up from her lookout position and went to the cave's entrance.

Instead of just going in one direction, the sandstorm started to circle around the small cave, edging closer and closer. In the midst of the storm, a shadowy figure appeared.

"HEY! WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH US?" screamed Izuka at the figure amongst the sands.

Izuka's screams were enough to awaken Temari and Kankuro. Being the heavy sleeper that he is, Gaara remained in his cookie dreamland.

"Izuka, what's going on out there?" asked Temari as she woke up from her Shikamaru dream.

"Yeah, what's going on?" asked Kankuro as he got up from his position on the cave's floor. "Some of us are trying to sleep here."

"There's a shadowy figure standing outside in the sandstorm." called Izuka from the cave's entrance.

"Shadowy figure?" questioned Temari.

"Sandstorm?" added Kankuro.

"Come see for yourself." was Izuka's reply.

Kankuro and Temari got up from their sleeping bags and went over to the cave's entrance. Temari's eyes were immediately on the shadowy figure. Kankuro's were on the sandstorm.

"OH MY GOD! GAARA'S SAND-BENDING IN HIS SLEEP!" screamed Kankuro.

Both blondes looked at the puppeteer with looks that screamed "ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

"Kankuro that is the most ridiculous thing that I've ever heard!" screamed Temari. Izuka could only look on with cold eyes.

"No seriously, LOOK!" said Kankuro as he pointed to the said redhead in question.

The small group turned their heads to see that Gaara was still asleep, but he was moving hands in his sleep. Every time Gaara moved his hands, the sand responded by moving with them.

"OH SNAP! HE IS SAND-BENDING IN HIS SLEEP!" yelled Izuka, breaking the awkward silence.

"HE'S SLEEP-BENDING!" added Kankuro.

Temari walked over to the sleeping Kazekage, picking up Izuka's copy of _Ripley's Believe it or_ _Not!_ along the way. Doing the unthinkable, Temari raised the book above her head and struck Gaara with it right in the center of his head with all her strength. Gaara screamed in impact.

"OWWW! WHAT THE HELL, TEMARI!" said Gaara as he rubbed his sore head while looking at his sister with annoyed eyes.

"Sorry Gaara. In the moment, it was the only way to wake you up so you would stop sand-bending in your sleep." said Temari with sincerity present in her voice.

All Gaara could say was "I was sand-bending in my sleep?"

It was Kankuro who answered. "You created a sandstorm that was surrounding the cave. We weren't able to see the shadowy figure standing in front of the cave because of it."

"Shadowy figure?" asked Gaara as he moved to join Kankuro and Izuka at the front of the cave entrance. Temari soon joined the group and they all turned towards the not-so-shadowy figure that was standing 30 feet away from the cave.

The figure was a tall man who was at least six feet in height. He had pale blue eyes and black shoulder-length hair. He was wearing a dark green shirt and brown pants with brown sandals, which made him look like a walking tree. We wore a Sand head band around his neck.

Gaara walked out of the cave a few feet to address the stranger. "Who are you?" he called out.

The man answered in a deep, husky voice. "Are you Gaara of the Desert, the Kazekage of the Sand Village?"

Gaara answer was plain and simple. "Yes."

The stranger continued with a second question. "Where is the Sage of the Sixth Paths, Shizukara Uzumaki?"

"Right here." said Izuka in an annoyed tone as she walked over to where Gaara was standing. Izuka always got annoyed whenever somebody used her full first name to address her.

"Who are you?" asked Izuka.

The stranger walked a few more steps towards the teens to address them back.

"My name is Daisuke. I'm one of the Wind Daimyo's advisors. I'm here to escort you to the Wind Daimyo's palace."

End of Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Hoped you like the chapter. Please review and read my other story "A Sage, Some Siblings, and a Whole Lot of Song Parodies." Also, please vote on my poll, located on my profile page. I've only had three voters so far.**

**P.S. I DO NOT OWN SHUKAKU, MATATABI, ISOBU, SAIKEN, KOKUO, GOKU, OR CHOMEI. THEY BELONG TO KISHIMOTO, NARUTO'S AUTHOR.**

**RYUNA IS ALL MY IDEA THOUGH! :)**


	11. Daisuke and a Bad Headache

Chapter 11: Daisuke and a Bad Headache

"You're here to escort us to the Wind Daimyo?" asked Kankuro as he ran over to where Izuka and Gaara were standing.

"Yes" answered Daisuke as he started to tentatively walk closer to the group.

"Hold it." said Temari as she joined the trio. "How do we do we know that you're telling the truth. I've been to the Wind Daimyo's palace before, but I have never seen you there."

"I was recently appointed to his advisors' council about a month ago." said Daisuke matter-of-factly as he continued to close the gap between him and the teens. Currently, he was ten feet away from the group.

"I still don't believe you." said Temari.

"Me neither and I haven't even been to the Wind Daimyo's palace. I don't usually trust guys that dress up like trees." said Kankuro as he pointed at Daisuke.

Daisuke looked down at his green shirt, brown pants, and brown sandals. "Sorry. I ran out of clean clothes to wear. I'm not much of a laundry person. At least I don't wear a cat hat."

"You did not just go there." said Kankuro as he started to walk over to Daisuke, clenching his hands into fists. Gaara immediately used his sand to bring Kankuro back over to his side.

"How long have you been following us?" asked Gaara as he continued to stare down Daisuke.

"Actually, I've been following you ever since you left the Sand village. I was in the village for another assignment when I got a message from the Wind Daimyo to escort you to his palace. By the time I went over to the Kazekage building, you guys had already left the village. I had to grab all my stuff in a hurry in order to catch up to you guys." exclaimed Daisuke as he took off a big backpack from his shoulders.

"How were you able to follow us unnoticed. I would have sensed you if you were at least 100 kilometers from us." said Izuka. With her ANBU past, Izuka had learned how to sense people within a seven mile radius of her.

"Oh, sorry about that. You see, because of my status as one of the Wind Daimyo's advisors, there's a big bounty on mine and anybody else's head if you work for the Wind Daimyo." said Daisuke in an exhausted tone. "We're required to wear seals that enable are presence to be undetectable whenever we leave his palace."

"Oh really? Can you give us just one second, Daisuke? The four of us need to talk about this for a moment." said Temari.

"Of course. Go on ahead. I understand." said Daisuke as he sat down on his backpack.

"Thank you, Daisuke." said Temari. She grabbed Kankuro by his shirt collar and dragged him back towards the cave. Gaara and Izuka followed the two.

"Do you guys believe him?" asked Temari as she let go of Kankuro's shirt collar as they reached the cave.

"Hell no! He insulted my cat hat!" exclaimed Kankuro as he pointed to his head at the said hat in question.

"So you do admit that it's a cat hat?" Gaara asked as he looked over at his brother.

"SHUT UP!" yelled Kankuro. Gaara looked away, smirking.

"I'm not sure about that Daisuke guy. I don't know if his story is legit." said Temari as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Me neither." said Gaara as he did the same thing.

"You know. There is a way that we can find out without him knowing." said Kankuro as he looked over at Izuka's direction. Temari and Gaara did the same, realizing what Kankuro meant.

It took a while for Izuka to realize what was going on. "No." she deadpanned.

"WHY?" whined Kankuro and Temari. Gaara just gave Izuka a sympathetic expression, knowing what she meant by her statement.

Thanks to Ryuna, Izuka was telepathic, but her power came with a cost. Anytime she looked into another person's mind or lifted things with her mind, it would give her a headache or make her faint. It was because of these symptoms that she barely used her psychic powers. The only times that she didn't suffer from her psychic power was when she telepathically communicated with Gaara and when she used her power to make herself fly. (Take that Iwa nin.)

"Come on Izuka. Just this once." asked Temari as she tried the puppy-dog eyes on her.

"No, and besides, Matsuri does the puppy-dog eyes better than you." said Izuka as she glared at the wind mistress.

Kankuro laughed at Temari's stunned expression. "OH SNAP! YOU JUST GOT PWNED, SIS!" exclaimed Kankuro in between giggles.

Gaara said nothing. Instead, he looked at his blonde friend.

"We don't have any other option, Izuka. I think your telekinesis is our only option." he said in a defeated tone.

Izuka sighed in understanding, realizing that there was no other option. "Fine. Catch me if I faint, okay."

Gaara nodded and moved over to Izuka so that he would catch her if she passed out. Izuka closed her eyes and started to scan the area with her mind. Once she found Daisuke's presence, she started to look through his brain. After five minutes straight of looking through images and memories of paperwork and giving the Wind Daimyo advice, Izuka concluded that Daisuke was telling the truth.

"It's true. Daisuke is what he says he is." said Izuka as she placed a hand right on her forehead. Gaara placed a hand on Izuka's shoulder.

"Are you going to be all right?" asked Gaara in a worried tone as he looked at Izuka's face. Since the recent mind excursion, Izuka skin became a sickly pale complexion and her eyes were droopy.

"I'll be fine." said Izuka as she wiped a bead of sweat from her face.

"You're not fooling anyone." said Temari as she handed Izuka a wet towel. "Put this on your forehead."

"Like that's going to help." said Izuka, but she took the rag anyway.

"So Daisuke was telling the truth, huh? Looks like I owe him an apology." said Kankuro. He walked over to the cave's entrance.

"HEY DAISUKE! EVERYHING'S CLEARED. WE'LL LET YOU ESCORT US TO THE WIND DAIMYO'S PALACE!" Kankuro screamed.

Izuka groaned in pain. "Ugh. No loud noises please." she moaned. Gaara and Temari glared at their fellow sibling.

"Sorry." apologized Kankuro.

Daisuke walked into the cave a few seconds later. His attention went straight towards Izuka. "What happened to the Lady Sage?" he asked in a worried tone.

"It takes a while to explain." said Temari as she sat down on the cave's floor. Daisuke and Kankuro followed after her. Gaara helped Izuka to sit on the ground and after he sat down, Gaara let Izuka rest her head on his shoulder.

"Let's get back to the matter at hand, shall we?" said Gaara as he scanned the cave. His gaze met Daisuke's. "Why has the Wind Daimyo called for our presence?"

"He hasn't even told me." said Daisuke simply. "What did he write to you in his message?"

"That he'll explain the situation once we get to his palace" said Kankuro.

"I see." Daisuke turned towards the cave's entrance, where light started to pour in from the east. "The sun is starting to rise. We need to leave quickly if we're going to evade any bandits."

Kankuro turned to his siblings. "You guys didn't tell me this was bandit country!" he said in a strained voice.

"We can handle them." said Temari. "Besides, we can't leave yet while Izuka is weak." They all turned their heads to Izuka, who had officially passed out on Gaara's shoulder five minutes ago.

"How long do you think she'll be like that?" asked Daisuke.

"Whenever she goes through a fainting spell, it usually takes her a few hours to for her to get to full strength." said Gaara as he observed the blonde girl sleeping on his shoulder.

"If that's the case, we'll just have to wait. Hopefully, no bandits will try anything on us." said Daisuke.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up." said a gruff voice.

Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and Daisuke all turned their heads to the cave's entrance. A group of about 12 men stood at the entrance, each one as ugly and mean looking as the one next to him. A man walked up from the middle of the group.

"Well what do ya know? We got a group of travelers on our hands boys." the man said. "Looks like we got a fan user, a puppeteer, an advisor to the daimyo that's dressed like a tree, the Kazekage of Suna, and-"

"The Sage of the Sixth Paths!" piped up from another man in the group in a lustful manner. Gaara gritted his teeth when he heard that last comment.

"Indeed, my friends." said the man. "She'll fetch a pretty penny on the black market." he continued with a sneer.

Gaara was getting more and more agitated by the second. Ever since the war, Gaara has been more protective of the people close to him, especially Izuka. And not just because of her cookies, if you know what I mean.

"Come on men. Let's capture them." he continued.

Daisuke, Temari, and Kankuro got into fighting positions. Gaara laid Izuka down next to her backpack, grabbed his gourd, and put it on his back as he stood up.

"Come on everyone. Let's show these idiots what we're truly made of." said Kankuro.

Gaara's sand started to swirl around him and then around the whole cave.

"With pleasure."

End of Chapter 11

**Author's note: Review and vote on my poll, located on my profile page. The battle ensues next chapter.**


	12. Here Comes the Pain!

Chapter 12: Here Comes the Pain!

"Ha! I'm not afraid of you even if you are the Kazekage." laughed the man with the gruff voice, who apparently was the leader of the motley crew of bandits.

The guy was wearing worn out black pants, a ratty old gray sleeveless shirt, and black sandals. He had storm gray eyes, a scar over the right side of his lips, and his brown hair was tied up in a ponytail that reached his mid-back. He held a katana in a sheath on the right side of his pants.

"We're not going to let you capture us!" exclaimed Temari as she readied her fan.

"We'll see about that." said the leader. He turned back towards his bandit crew. "Y'all ready?"

In response, the bandits yelled and screamed in anticipation. It had been a long time since they fought anybody.

Many people didn't travel through the rockier terrain of the bleak desert because that was where the bandits were usually found. Gaara and the group decided to travel through the rockier terrain because it was the shortest way to the Wind Daimyo's palace.

Kankuro scooted over to Daisuke's position. "You can fight, right?" he asked.

Daisuke turned to the puppeteer. "I can fight. Don't let my looks deceive you."

Kankuro only nodded and returned back to his original position.

Gaara turned back to his siblings and Daisuke. "Are you all ready?" he said in his usual monotone.

They all nodded their heads yes.

"Alright then." said Gaara as he turned his attention back to the bandits.

The leader of the bandits took his katana out from its sheath and raised it high in the air. "ATTACK!" he yelled.

The bandits all yelled in response and started to charge towards the group.

"Not on my watch!" yelled Temari. She swung her fan and made a gust of wind that blew all the bandits clear out of the cave. Gaara, Kankuro, Daisuke, and Temari all ran to the cave's entrance to see the bandits all struggling to get up from the ground.

"Divide and conquer. Make sure that they don't get back into the cave!" exclaimed Gaara. The other nodded and they all separated.

Temari landed right in front of a few men who were still trying to get their bearings together as they stood up.

"Too easy." exclaimed Temari. "Futon: Tatsu no Oshigoto! (Wind Release: Great Task of the Dragon)" With her fan, she made a huge wind gust that sent the men flying into some sand dunes.

Kankuro walked nonchalantly to a few guys that were about twenty feet from the cave. He unsealed Salamander and sent kunai flying from Salamander's underbelly right at the men. The bandits couldn't block all of them and they were all soon defeated.

"PUPPETS RULE DUDES!" screamed Kankuro as he made himself and Salamander disappear from the area.

Daisuke was surrounded by three menacing looking bandits. One guy held an axe, another held a wakizashi (short sword: Soi-Fon from Bleach uses one), while the third held a hammer.

"What are you going to do, Mr. Advisor? We got you surrounded." said the bandit with the axe.

Daisuke only smirked. "I'll show you. Ninja Arts: Blank Body Jutsu!" He pressed his palms together and became invisible. The three bandits were confused.

"Where did that advisor go?" asked the bandit with the wakizashi.

Before he could get an answer from his fellow bandits, the bandit was knocked out cold.

"Be on gua-." said the bandit with the hammer, but before he could finish, he too was knocked out cold.

"Oh shit!" exclaimed the bandit with the axe. Suddenly, he felt someone tapping on his shoulder.

"Bad idea, wise guy." said the bandit as he turned around with his axe raised above his head. But no one was there behind him.

"What the-." he said, but was knocked out before he finished. Daisuke then reappeared before the fallen bandit.

"Looks can be deceiving." he said as he walked away from the fallen trio.

Gaara was the only one of the four to not move from the cave's entrance. Currently, Gaara and the bandit leader were having a stare off. After a few more minutes of staring, the bandit leader smirked.

"You're not going to attack first, are you?" he said in his gruff voice.

Gaara didn't respond or move. He just continued to stare down the bandit leader.

"Well, I don't blame you. I am an entirely new enemy to you. You don't know my skills, so you're hoping that I would attack first. That way, you would be able to analyze what I can and can't to do and then figure out a way to defeat me. Did I get that correct?" said the bandit leader.

"You're smarter than you look." said Gaara.

"I was at the top of my class during my days in Suna's ninja academy." returned the bandit.

"So you're a rogue ninja?" asked Gaara.

"Call me what you want. It doesn't affect me in the slightest bit." said the bandit leader.

"What is your name?" asked Gaara.

"Kizuo Matatashi." replied the bandit leader.

Gaara's eyes opened wider in surprise as he remembered reading the name among his large piles of paper work.

"You're name's familiar." said Gaara coldly as he returned to his normal expression.

"It should be. I tried to assassinate the Fourth Kazekage before I graduated from the academy."

Gaara only glared in response.

"You know, without the purple face paint, that puppeteer looks almost like the Fourth." continued Kizuo. His eyes widened in realization. "It all makes sense now. That puppeteer is one of the Fourth's kids, most likely the middle one. I heard that his first born was a girl, so it's probably that fan user over there. And if I remember correctly, the last one was also a boy. The last one was known to have hair as red as blood and dark rings around his eyes."

He pointed his katana at Gaara. "That's you isn't it."

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Gaara coldly.

Kizuo only laughed. "You're right. I can be slow sometimes." he said nonchalantly.

Gaara only stared.

_So this guy tried to assassinate my father, huh? Even if he seems like a goofball in person, I better take him seriously in this fight. _Gaara thought.

"Well then. I'LL STRIKE FIRST!" Kizuo shouted as he ran straight for the Kazekage.

Gaara commanded his sand to block Kizuo's katana as he aimed straight for Gaara's head. Kizuo continued to strike at Gaara, but every time he tried, his attacks were blocked by Gaara's sand. Gaara used his sand to push Kizuo away and the sand did as it was told. Kizuo jumped before the sand could touch him.

"That's some mighty fine sand you got there." panted Kizuo.

Gaara didn't answer. Instead, he commanded his sand to attack Kizuo.

"Going on the offensive huh?" Kizuo said as he leapt away from Gaara's sand.

"You should just surrender. Thanks to our surroundings, I have the advantage in this battle." said Gaara as he continued to attack Kizuo with his sand.

"That may be true, but I already have figured you out." said Kizuo.

"Oh really?" asked Gaara, trying not to show any sarcasm.

"Yes. I know your weakness and I am not talking about water." said Kizuo as he jumped out of the way of some sand bullets.

"What do you mean?" said a confused Gaara.

"Don't play dumb with me, Mr. Kazekage. I saw you grit your teeth when my fellow bandit talked about the Sage. You're a tad protective of that girl, aren't ya?" said Kizuo with a knowing smirk plastered across his face.

Gaara's eyes widened for a split second before Kizuo could notice. Going back through the years since the Chunnin Exams where they first met, Izuka and Gaara have always looked out for each other as best friends. They became each other's training partners and when Gaara became Kazekage and Izuka became the new Sage of the Sixth Paths, they were each other's lookouts whenever fan boys or fan girls were nearby. All in all, a close bond grew between the two.

"You would not address her like that in my presence!" said Gaara with a bit of venom in his voice.

"I was right. You are a protective one. It seems so unlike you after the past you've had." said Kizuo knowingly.

Gaara was stunned when he heard this new info. "Are you a stalker or something?"

"Nope. After my first failed assassination attempt, I continued to observe your father in secret throughout the years so I would have another chance to kill him, but that bastard Orochimaru beat me to the punch. I left Suna soon after his death. It wasn't all in vain though. I was able to learn all about you and your siblings' abilities." said Kizuo still with a smirk on his face.

Kankuro, Temari, and Daisuke had already finished their battles and were now observing and listening in on the standoff between Gaara and Kizuo. Kankuro growled in frustration.

"He's been observing us for years! How did we not notice him?" he asked.

"Who knows? Right now, we need to let Gaara handle this one." said Temari as she crossed her arms.

"WHAT?!" screamed Kankuro. "We can't let Gaara fight this battle alone, especially when that Kizuo guy knows Gaara's abilities!"

"Don't forget. He knows OUR abilities too. And probably our weaknesses as well." retorted Temari. "Besides, that Kizuo guy must be powerful if he was able to attempt an assassination on our father. We would only be liabilities if we joined in the fight."

Kankuro turned away, defeated. "I hate it when you're right." he finally said.

Daisuke could only listen as he continued to watch the standoff between Gaara and Kizuo.

"Now Lord Kazekage, let us fight for real this time, shall we?" Kizuo put his katana back into its sheath and started to do some complicated hand signs.

Gaara narrowed his eyes in anticipation. _This is where the real battle begins. _He thought.

Kizuo finished his hand signs and pressed his palms together. "Here I go. WATER STYLE: BARRACUDA BARRAGE!"

To be continued

End of chapter 12.

**Author's note: I would have gotten this uploaded sooner, but because of Hurricane Sandy, my internet connection was down for a few days. Review and vote on my poll, which is on my profile page. The battle continues next chapter.**

**By the way I got the name for Temari's jutsu from the Narutopedia website. Give credit where credit is do my friends**


	13. Here Comes the Pain! Part 2

Chapter 13: Here Comes the Pain! Part 2

"WATER STYLE: BARRACUDA BARRAGE!"

Kizuo slammed his palms to the ground. Instantly, a huge gush of water erupted from where his palms were on the ground.

The water formed into the shapes of deadly barracudas that instantly went after Gaara. Gaara used some of his sand to defend himself, but it soon proved to be useless as the sand became clumped together as soon as the barracudas touched it. Gaara was forced to dodge the barracudas attack.

_Damn. That was a close one._ Gaara thought. He dodged again as another barracuda charged at him. The barracudas continued their assault and Gaara continued to dodge them.

Kizuo only laughed at Gaara's new predicament. He then started to do the hand signs of another jutsu. "WATER STYLE: OCTOPUS ENTANGLEMENT!"

A large amount of water was summoned from Kizuo's palms and started to form a small pond. A large glob of water emerged from the bond and morphed itself into a giant octopus.

"Grab him!" ordered Kizuo as he pointed his finger at Gaara as he continued to dodge the endless amounts of barracuda that were after him.

The octopus did as it was told and grabbed Gaara as he jumped out of the way of a barracuda. The octopus wrapped its tentacle around Gaara's body and started to crush him. His sand gourd started to break apart in clumps as it couldn't handle the contact with the water.

"GAARA!" screamed Kankuro. He connected his puppet strings back onto Salamander and made the puppet fire kunai straight as Kizuo. Kizuo turned and noticed the oncoming kunai.

"Not quite." he said. "Water Style: Aquatic Barrier." A large amount of water rose from the pond and created a barrier that surrounded Kizuo. The kunai made contact with the barrier, but it didn't go through it. Instead, the kunai was absorbed into the barrier.

"What the?" said a stunned Temari. Kankuro was just as shocked.

Kizuo turned to the three onlookers. "Bye bye."

The kunai were immediately fired from the barrier; Daisuke, Temari, and Kankuro the intended targets.

"Daisuke, Temari, get behind Salamander!" ordered Kankuro.

Temari and Daisuke did as they were told and went behind the puppeteer and his puppet. Kankuro immediately raised up Salamander's shield to block the oncoming kunai.

"WATER STYLE: WATER PRISON JUTSU" yelled Kizuo.

Water leapt from the pond and started to surround Kankuro, Temari, and Daisuke. Soon, they were trapped in their own water bubbles.

"KANKURO, DAISUKE, TEMARI!" yelled Gaara as he watched his siblings and the advisor be swallowed by their watery prisons.

"You better pay attention, Mr. Kazekage, if you want to save them." said Kizuo.

Gaara could only grimace as he continued to struggle in the octopus' grasp.

"Admit it. I got you beat. Your siblings and that advisor are trapped in my water prisons and soon, they'll run out of air and we'll die in a watery grave. You, on the other hand, have a choice. You can either be crushed by my octopus here or, I'll cut your throat. Which one will it be?" asked Kizuo.

Gaara gave hive a cold, hard stare. "What about Izuka?" he asked with menace in his voice.

Kizuo chuckled. "Oh, the Sage? Like I said before, she'll fetch a pretty penny. She's one of the most sought after people in the bingo book. And with her having not one, but eight tailed beast sealed inside her, the possibilities are endless."

Gaara gritted his teeth at those remarks. He wasn't going to let anybody harm Izuka, his siblings, or any other people he cared about on his watch.

"I am going to kill you." said Gaara defiantly at Kizuo.

"Ha! Only if you can get out of my octopus' grip first." said Kizuo. "Crush him."

The octopus did as it was told and continued to crush Gaara to death. Gaara bit his lip so he wouldn't let Kizuo hear his screams of pain.

"GAARA!" screamed Kankuro, but it was a big mistake as he started to take in water as soon as he opened his mouth.

"_KANKURO!" _thought Temari.

"_This is probably the end of us."_ thought Daisuke.

Gaara was getting more and more crushed by the second. He didn't want to admit it, but he was losing this battle.

"_I won't last much longer like this. What am I going to do?" _thought Gaara.

"_How about calling a friend for help?"_ called an anonymous voice.

Gaara was on the verge of passing out when he recognized the voice. _"Izuka?"_ he thought.

In response, a bullet of water hit Kizuo straight in the chest, which made him fly ten feet from his original position. He landed on his back with a sharp thud.

The water prisons dissipated and Temari, Kankuro, and Daisuke were freed. The octopus also ceased to exist and Gaara jumped out of the way before any more water could splash on him. When he landed on the ground, he almost collapsed. Lucky for him, a pair of hands held him up.

"You okay Gaara?" asked Izuka in a concerned tone.

"I'll be fine. Thanks for the save by the way." Gaara panted.

"Sure thing." Izuka turned her attention towards Temari, Daisuke, and Kankuro. "ARE YOU GUYS OKAY?" she yelled to the three.

Temari answered. "KANKURO IS SPITTING OUT SOME WATER HE ACCIDENTALEY DRANK IN, BUT THE REST OF US ARE FINE!"  
Gaara let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to know."

The two then turned their attention back to Kizuo, who had gotten up from Izuka's attack.

"That was one nice water attack you hit me with, Lady Sage. Too bad it won't work a second time. I don't get taken by surprise that easily." commented Kizuo.

Izuka narrowed her eyes at Kizuo. "So, this is the guy that's been giving you a hard time huh?"

Gaara nodded. "Don't take him lightly. He's skilled in water jutsus." Gaara winced in pain as he touched his sore ribs.

"Gaara?" Izuka asked the redhead, concern being the dominant emotion in her voice.

Gaara turned to Izuka. "I'll be fine. Right now, we need to worry about Kizuo."

Izuka only nodded and returned her attention back to the task at hand.

"So you're going to fight me Lady Sage?" asked Kizuo. He took his katana back out of its sheath.

Izuka didn't respond. Instead, she pressed her palms together.

"ELEMENT ARTS: WATER SHIFT JUTSU!"

A large amount of blue chakra erupted from the bottom of Izuka's feet and enveloped her body. After a few seconds passed, the chakra retreated back into Izuka's body.

"What the hell?" said Kizuo astonished. Gaara only slightly smirked at Kizuo's expression.

The chakra changed Izuka's entire appearance. Izuka was now wearing a royal blue, long-sleeved, hooded crop top that had three stripes on it that connected to form a Y. She wore tights with a pair of shorts that went mid-thigh. She still wore the same sandals. Her hair was no longer tied into pigtails, but instead, she was wearing the same hairstyle as Neji. Her eyes were sea blue instead of the usual ice blue and she wore a pair of silver glasses. She wore fingerless gloves and her chain whip was tied around her waist. The purple amulet she wore with her rosary had shifted into the form of a royal blue teardrop.

"So this is one of your elemental forms, huh?" asked Kizuo. "Each form goes by a name. You go by the name Aqua in this form don't ya?"

"That's right." replied Izuka/Aqua.

"Where's your weapon?" asked Kizuo. He knew that each form that Izuka took on had its own specific element weapon.

Izuka responded by unclipping a royal blue stone from her chain whip. She threw it up in the air and did a few hand signs. The stone disappeared in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke dissipated, a trident appeared and fell back to earth. Izuka caught it before it hit the ground.

Kizuo gave Izuka a questioning look. "Huh. Didn't see that coming."

"It's time we finish this." said Izuka.

"Gladly." Kizuo then charged at the Sage. Big mistake buddy.

To be continued.

End of chapter 13.

**Author's note: I decided to make it a three part chapter. Surprise. Please review and vote on my poll that's on my profile page.**

**By the way, if the water prison part seems familiar, I got the idea from Naruto when Gai's team fought the fake Kisame. Credit is given to the series for that part.**


	14. Here Comes the Pain! Part 3

Chapter 14: Here Comes the Pain: Part 3

**Where we last left off**

"_It's time we finished this." said Izuka/Aqua._

"_Gladly!" Kizuo then charged at the Sage. Big mistake buddy._

* * *

**Currently in present times**

Kizuo raised his sword as he ran towards the Sage. He tried to strike her in the chest, but was deflected by Izuka/Aqua as she raised her trident to protect herself. Kizuo tried another strike, but this time, Izuka/Aqua jumped out of the way. She did a flip in the air and landed on the small pond Kizuo made.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to beat me." said Kizuo. Kizuo took some shuriken out from his pack and threw it straight at Izuka/Aqua. Izuka placed her hand on the surface of the water.

"Water Style: Aquatic Barrier!"

A barrier similar to the one Kizuo had made a while ago emerged from the water and absorbed the shuriken. The shuriken were then promptly fired straight back at Kizuo. Kizuo used his katana to deflect the shuriken.

"Really?" Kizuo asked.

"I'm not done yet." said Izuka/Aqua. She did a few hand signs. "Water Style: Hydro Needles!"

Suddenly, hundreds of needles were shot from the barrier right at Kizuo. Kizuo tried in vain to avoid them. He succumbed to the needles in a matter of seconds.

"ALRIGHT!" screamed Kankuro.

"You got him!" shouted Temari.

Daisuke only stared in amazement while Gaara nodded his head in approval.

"Thanks for the support guys." yelled Izuka/Aqua. "But he's not done yet."

"What do you mean?" asked Kankuro.

Temari countered. "Guys, look for yourselves."

Kankuro, Daisuke, and Gaara all turned their heads to see Kizuo sitting up on the ground. His body was bleeding from where the needles had cut into his skin. The needles had done so much damage to his body, that his left eye was sealed shut in pain from the impact of five of them.

"I see you're still alive." acknowledged Izuka/Aqua as she started to walk towards the injured bandit.

"Needles ain't gonna stop me from reaching my goal." said Kizuo simply.

"And that's what again? Capturing me and putting me up on the black market?" Izuka/Aqua asked disdainfully.

"Yeah, that's about it. Wait a minute. Weren't you passed out when I said that?" asked Kizuo.

"My eyes may have been closed, but my ears were still open." said Izuka/Aqua simply.

"Spoken like a true Sage." said Kizuo.

"Thanks." said Izuka. She pressed her palms together and instantly disappeared.

"Where'd she go?" asked Kizuo to no one in particular. Before he could utter another word, an invisible force hit him straight in the chin. The force was so great that Kizuo flew back twelve feet. The force soon revealed itself to be Izuka/Aqua, who had full extended her leg to kick Kizuo.

"That was a sneaky shot!" grumbled Kizuo as he got up from the ground.

"We're ninja. Aren't we supposed to be sneaky?" Izuka/Aqua asked him.

"Touché, Lady Sage, touché indeed." commented Kizuo.

Izuka nodded her head and moved her trident towards the pond. The water inside the pond responded to the trident's movements.

"Oh hell!" yelled Kizuo as he started to make a run for it.

"No way are you getting away." Izuka said blankly as she moved the water and commanded it to grab Kizuo. The water did as it was told and grabbed him by his ankles.

"Let me go!" he yelled.

"No way!" yelled Izuka/Aqua.

The water started to cover Kizuo's body until it reached his head. Izuka walked over to his immobile form. Gaara went over to them.

"What are you going to do to me?" asked Kizuo.

Izuka turned to Gaara. "I'll leave his fate to you."

Gaara considered his options, but then a thought occurred to him. He whispered his idea in Izuka's ear. She smirked.

"That's not a bad idea."

Izuka raised her hand. The water covering Kizuo's body responded to the movement and moved itself in a way that made Kizuo stand up in front of the Sage and Kazekage.

"What are you going to do?" asked Kizuo in a frightened tone.

Gaara and Izuka/Aqua both smirked at each other.

"Oh, you'll see." the Kazekage and Sage both chorused.

* * *

**About two hours later**

Daisuke, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and Izuka were now running through a small forested area on their way to the Wind Daimyo's palace.

"Daisuke, where are we and how close are we to the palace?" asked Kankuro.

"We're in the forest near Mizukari City. The Wind Daimyo's palace is in the city's center. We'll probably get there in another hour or so." answered Daisuke.

"Oh good cause I'm starving." sighed Kankuro.

"You're always starving Kankuro." exclaimed Temari as she gave him a sisterly shove.

"I know I do but what are you?" asked Kankuro as he stuck his tongue out at her.

"I'm a person with common sense and fashion sense sir." Temari replied.

"What are you implying sis?" inquired Kankuro.

"She's saying you have neither." said Gaara out of the blue.

"OH HELL NO!" screamed Kankuro. Everyone laughed, except Gaara, who chuckled.

Daisuke stopped laughing and turned to Izuka and Gaara, "Was it a good idea to leave that bandit leader back there like that?"

Izuka and Gaara turned to look at each other, then back at Daisuke. "I don't think Kizuo will be bugging anymore travelers for a long time." replied Izuka.

Gaara smirked at the thought.

Daisuke only nodded his head in response and the group continued on their way towards Mizukari City.

* * *

**Back with Kizuo**

Kizuo was currently stuck in the ground. I mean, STUCK IN THE GROUND. Currently, he was buried in rock up to his neck. His bandit minions had already abandoned him when they woke up from their dream lands and he was at the moment, all alone.

"Ugh, could it get any worse?" said Kizuo out loud. "Why the HELL did I say that?"

Kizuo would have smacked himself in the head if it weren't for the fact that his hands were underground. Instead, he turned his head to see a huge sandstorm come his way.

"Oh shit."

* * *

**Back with the group**

The group finally finished their journey through the forest and was now at Mizukari City's gates. Daisuke led the group over to the city's security checkpoint, where a small line had already formed. The line moved quickly and the group soon found themselves at the security desk. The guard looked up from his paperwork.

"Ah Daisuke. It's good to see you again. How was the assignment?" asked the guard.

"Hello Aiko. The assignment went well." Daisuke gestured over to the others. "I'm here with the Lady Sage, the Kazekage, and his siblings. The Wind Daimyo is expecting us."

Aiko looked over a paper that was a list of expected visitors. "Oh yeah. They are here on the list. You guys can enter. Have a pleasant stay."

"Thanks Aiko." Daisuke and the four teens walked over to the main gates. The gates opened to reveal a bustling city full of activity.

"Wow, this is amazing." said a stunned Kankuro. Temari, Gaara, and Izuka could only nod their heads in agreement even though they have been to the city before.

Daisuke turned around to face the teens. "Guys, welcome to Mizukari city."

End of chapter 14.

**A/N: Please review and vote on my profile page's poll.**


	15. The Wind Daimyo

Chapter 15: The Wind Daimyo

"This place is AWESOME!" yelled Kankuro as he walked ahead of Daisuke, Gaara, Temari, and Izuka as the group made their way through the streets of Mizukari City.

"This place is a lot more festive since the last time we've been here." commented Izuka as she looked around the decorative streets filled with streamers, confetti, and ornate paper lanterns.

"It's more festive because the city is in the midst of The Grand Festival." replied Daisuke, who grabbed Kankuro by his shirt collar while he was ogling a fried food stand.

"What's The Grand Festival?" asked Temari as she also looked around the street.

"The Grand Festival is a week-long celebration of the founding of Mizukari City." said Daisuke.

"How long has Mizukari City been around?" asked Gaara as he started to see a few girls start eyeing him. _"Izzy, I think I have fan girls here."_ thought Gaara in a worried tone.

"_You have fan girls everywhere and can you please stop calling me by that nickname." _thought Izuka in return.

"_Sorry, force of habit."_ replied Gaara.

Daisuke looked over at the young Kazekage to answer him. "This festival celebrates Mizukari City's 95'th anniversary."

"Woah. That's longer than Suna." commented Kankuro.

"I think Suna and Mizukari City are the same age Kankuro." replied Temari.

Kankuro ignored her and turned his attention right back on Daisuke. "How long will it take us to get to the Wind Daimyo's palace?"

"We're already here Kankuro." said Daisuke as he pointed toward a large building.

Kankuro looked up at the huge structure. "Oh snap! It looks just like the Kazekage building, except its green in color."

Gaara gave Kankuro a glare. When Kankuro saw it, he instantly shut his face up.

"Follow me." said Daisuke. The four teens followed the advisor to the palace gate. The gate was dark green in color but was decorated with gold lions on its front. Two menacing looking guards stood at the gate.

"Names!" cried one of the guards, who had a handlebar moustache.

"Daisuke Shirabuza." said Daisuke.

"Gaara Sabakuno." replied Gaara.

"Kankuro Sabakuno." said Kankuro in a cheery tone. Gaara gave him a look.

"Temari Sabakuno." exclaimed Temari. Gaara gave her a deadpan.

"Shizukara Uzumaki." replied Izuka. She so disliked using her full first name.

The handlebar moustache guard looked over to the other guard, who was going through a list in his hands. After a few seconds of scanning, the guard looked up from the list. "You're names are all on the list. You may all enter the palace."

The guards moved away from the gate and the gate slowly opened. The group of five walked through the gate and into the royal gardens.

"Oh my god, there are so many flowers here." cooed Temari.

"ACHOO!" The sound was so out of the blue that Temari jumped and yelled, frightened from the sudden sound. Daisuke, Gaara, and Izuka turned their heads to see Kankuro rubbing his nose and sniffling.

"Sorry, allergies." said Kankuro apologetically.

Temari recovered from her fright to scold Kankuro. "Warn us next time!" she yelled at the puppeteer.

"Ok ok. Don't get your panties in a twist." replied Kankuro. He walked past his sister to catch up with Daisuke, Izuka, and Gaara, who were already walking through the palace's front door. Temari ran after the four.

The group was led by Daisuke through the palace towards the throne room, which was located in the middle of the building. The throne room was decorated in green and gold with artifacts and valuable treasures lining the walls. The Wind Daimyo was sitting on his throne at the top a podium in the middle of the room. Two of his advisors were on either side of him.

"This man loves his expensive stuff." Kankuro whispered into Izuka's ear. Izuka elbowed Kankuro in the ribs.

"Owww, okay, I'll shut up." Kankuro whispered back.

"Ah. Welcome back Daisuke. And welcome Kazekage-san, Lady Sage-san, Temari-kun, and friend.

"Aw man. He doesn't know my name." Kankuro whispered.

"Maybe it's because he has never met you till now." whispered Temari in return.

The Wind Daimyo was big in status and big in appearance. He was a large man and his eyes always looked closed, even when awake. He also had a thin mustache and beard. He replaced the old Wind Daimyo four years ago for unspecified reasons. (**A/N: **Got description for Wind Daimyo from Narutopedia site, if you were wondering.)

Gaara stepped away from the group to address the Wind Daimyo. "Why have you called for mine and the Lady Sage's presence, Wind Daimyo-sama?"

The Wind Daimyo gave Gaara a stern look. "I have called for yours and Izuka-san's presence to discuss an urgent matter regarding the Wind Country's relationship with Amegakure."

"What seems to be the problem?" asked Izuka as she walked over to where Gaara was standing.

"To put things bluntly, the dictator of Amegakure is threatening to go to war with us." said the Wind Daimyo in a defeated tone.

"What, why?" asked Temari.

"Amegakure was known to be an enemy nation during the Fourth Shinobi World War, but they are now saying that they were victims in the matter." replied the Wind Daimyo.

"Well isn't that a load of baloney." whispered Kankuro. Daisuke nodded in agreement.

"Amegakure has been able to recover fast from the war, unlike us or the four other great nations. Even though both the Wind Country and Fire Country are basically Amegakure's next-door neighbors, they have threatened to attack Suna first because it is closer. "

Everyone either groaned or froze in shock at the news. The Wind Daimyo continued with his speech.

"There is a compromise though. The dictator of Amegakure has offered us a chance to plead our case to why there should be no war between the two nations.

"And you want us to go to Amegakure to plead the Wind Country's case as to why there should be no war?" asked the Lady Sage.

The Daimyo smirked. "Exactly, who better to do the job as the Wind Country's representatives than two of the country's most powerful residents?"

Gaara and Izuka turned to look at each other then back to the Daimyo.

"What do we got to lose?" Izuk asked Gaara.

"Who knows?" replied Gaara. He walked closer to the Wind Daimyo's podium."We accept this mission." said Gaara with a hint of purpose in his voice.

"Excellent. The dictator will expect you five to arrive at his palace in less than two weeks. Daisuke here will accompany you on your mission as my personal representative."

"Fine by us." replied Izuka.

"Good. Now, why don't you guys enjoy the festival and stay here in my palace as my personal guests." invited the Wind Daimyo.

"We accept your invitation, Wind Daimyo-sama." replied Gaara as he spoke for the group.

Kankuro smiled and ran straight for the door, which the Wind Daimyo noticed.

"Someone's eager." commented the Wind Daimyo.

Temari shrugged. "He's probably going straight back to that fried food stand we passed on our way here."

Temari, Izuka, Gaara, and Daisuke all bowed to the Wind Daimyo before leaving the room to enjoy the festival.

"Sir, I have a bad feeling about this mission you gave those five." replied one of the Wind Daimyo's advisors.

"Don't worry Kazi. Everything will be fine." replied the Wind Daimyo._ "I hope."_

End of chapter 15

**A/N: What could possibly happen to the group of five now? Tune in to find out. Next chapter is the second side chapter of the story. If Kankuro sang in the first one, then something wacky is bound to happen in the second one. X) Please review and vote on my poll.**


	16. Side Chapetr: The Wigs

Chapter 16: Side Chapter: The Wigs

"That was probably the best day of my young existence." cried Kankuro as he walked into one of the Wind Daimyo's palace's many guest suites. Since the four teens were staying in Mizukari City for the remainder of The Grand Festival, the group was staying at the Wind Daimyo's palace.

Izuka and Gaara soon entered the suite. The suite had two bedrooms, each with their own bathroom, a living room, and a small kitchen. Kankuro and Gaara stayed in the bedroom on the right side of the suite while Izuka and Temari stayed in the bedroom on the left.

"I still can't believe you ate every single item on that fried food cart." said Gaara as he sat down on the plush living room sofa.

"Hey, it was the vendor's fault. He said that if I was able to eat everything from his cart, he wouldn't charge me anything. I took the challenge and won. Who's the loser now?" asked Kankuro. He put a hand on his stomach as it began to make loud rumbling noises. He made a beeline for the bathroom.

"Apparently you." commented Izuka as she took a seat next to Gaara.

"Temari has always warned him to not eat so much food in one sitting." said Izuka as she leaned back into the soft couch.

"Your right on that account." replied Gaara. He then looked around the room. "Wait a second. Where is Temari?"

"You called my name?" The said wind mistress in question walked into the suite carrying a large box. She placed the box on the table that was right in front of the Sage and Kazekage.

"Ugh, Temari, what's in the box?" asked Izuka in a curious tone.

Temari didn't answer her. Instead, she opened the box and thrusted her head inside the box's contents. When she lifted her head back out of the box, she was wearing a long brunette wig.

Izuka and Gaara gave Temari blank stares.

"Well? Don't you guys love my new look?" asked Temari sarcastically.

"Temari, don't tell me you wasted your money buying a box of wigs?" replied Gaara as he continued to stare down the wig box.

"Nah, I still have some money left over." replied Temari in return.

"Why did you buy a box of wigs?" asked Izuka as she picked out a short blonde bob wig from the box.

"I figured we can use these wigs whenever we go out and don't want to be recognized while out on the streets." replied Temari as she took of her wig.

"That sounds like a good idea, but why so many?" asked Izuka as she dropped her wig back into the box.

"So we can have choices, duh." replied a sarcastic Temari.

"Of course." replied Izuka in return. Kankuro chose that moment to walk back into the living room.

"OOOOOH WIGS!" screamed Kankuro in a high pitched voice as he went straight for the box. Gaara stared at Kankuro with a horrified expression.

"Kankuro, you sounded just like one of my screaming fan girls just now." exclaimed Gaara in a slightly freaked-out tone.

"I don't care! All I know is that I just love wigs!" yelled Kankuro in happiness as he took out a random wig.

Kankuro took a closer look at the wig. So did Izuka, Temari, and Gaara. "Oh yes." said Kankuro in a maniacal tone.

"OH NO!" yelled Izuka and Gaara.

The wig that Kankuro held was a long blonde 80's wig, similar to the one he wore before when he sang Aerosmith's "Dude Looks like a Lady" one night. It still scared Izuka and Gaara to think how Kankuro looked like a drag Pamela Anderson with the wig on.

Kankuro quickly grabbed a skull cap from the box and put it on his head. He quickly put the blonde wig on his head before Temari could grab it out of his hand.

"Duh-nun, duh-nun, dude looks like a lady!" sang Kankuro at the top of his lungs.

Izuka face palmed while Gaara's left eye twitched. Temari ran straight for the room she shared with Izuka and grabbed her fan. She ran out of the room and instantly struck Kankuro in the head just as he was going to sing the body like a Venus line. Kankuro instantly fell to the floor unconscious. Temari grabbed the wig off Kankuro's swollen head.

"Quick, Izuka, use one of your fire jutsus to burn this wig into oblivion!" exclaimed Temari as threw the wig to Izuka.

After recovering from her facepalm, Izuka happily grabbed the wig out of the air and went straight to the bathroom and closed the door. The faint smell of smoke emanated from the room and then disappeared. Izuka came out of the bathroom a few minutes brushing her hands on her skirt.

Kankuro woke up from dream land. "Okay, I really did deserve that." he said as got up to sit on the sofa of Gaara, Temari, and Izuka.

Temari only gave him a blank look and passed skull caps over to Gaara and Izuka. "Put these on. These will protect your hair from being itchy from the wigs."

Izuka and Gaara nodded their heads and put on their skull caps. Gaara had no problem with his skull cap because of his short hair. Izuka had to take the rings off the ends of her braids and had to wrap them in buns similar to TenTen's in order for the skull cap to fit on her head. Temari had to take her hair out of her pigtails in order for the skull cap to fit.

"Alright, here's how it going to go down. Each person will take a turn to go into the box and grab a random wig without looking. That person will try the wig on and the rest of us will comment on whether the wig looks good on them or not. Got it?"

Izuka, Gaara, and Kankuro nodded their heads in agreement.

"Good. Izuka, you're first." said Temari.

Izuka leaned over to reach into the box. She took out a random wig and placed it on her head. The wig was a black mullet.

"Well?" Izuka asked the siblings.

Gaara was the first to answer. "Well, to put it simply, you look like a smoky-eyed Joan Jett."

Izuka raised an eyebrow at Gaara.

"This is such the perfect 80's look for you." cried Temari as she took out a camera from her pocket and took a picture of Izuka wearing the wig.

"Really?" asked Izuka in an incredulous voice.

"What? We'll use the picture to compare the looks. Gaara, you're next." said Temari.

Gaara only shrugged, but soon reached into the box to grab a wig. It was a black wig that Gaara grabbed, which was soon placed on his head.

"What's the verdict?" asked Gaara as Temari took a photo of him.

Izuka, Temari, and Kankuro looked at Gaara, then at each other, and then back at Gaara. "You look like Ulquiorra from Bleach." they all chorused.

"Do I- yeah I do." Gaara said as he turned his head towards a mirror.

"Me next." Kankuro shoved his hand into the box and pulled out a rainbow afro. He put it on his head and said. "Give me a big red nose and some clown shoes and you can call me Bozo the clown."

Temari laughed and took Kankuro's photo. Izuka and Gaara smirked at the thought of Kankuro as a clown.

"_He already has the makeup for it."_ commented Gaara.

"_Indeed."_ replied Izuka in return.

"Okay, it's my turn." replied Temari. She reached in and took out a long platinum blonde wig from the box.

"Oh my God, it's a valley girl!" yelled Kankuro. Temari smacked him in the face.

"Never compare me those airheads, EVER!" replied Temari in a cold and menacing voice.

Kankuro only nodded his head in understanding. "Good." replied Temari. She then took a photo of herself with the wig on.

"I guess it's my turn again." said a bored Izuka. She took out another wig and placed it on her head.

She looked up to see Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro staring at her. "What?" she asked.

"That wig looks amazing on you." cooed Temari.

"Really?" asked Izuka.

"Only because it proves mine and Temari's point that you look like Gaara's long lost twin when you are wearing red hair." replied Kankuro.

Before Izuka could reply, Temari cut in. "You so do. Look in the mirror."

"Okay then." replied an unsure Izuka. She walked over to a nearby a mirror.

"Oh snap." cried the young Sage. The wig Izuka was wearing was a shoulder-length bob with bangs that covered her forehead and was red as Gaara's hair.

"This is weird." commented Izuka.

"I'll say." said a monotone voice.

Izuka turned around to see Gaara right behind her looking at their reflections in the mirror. "We really can pass off as twins." he said.

Izuka could only nod her head in response.

"SAY CHEESE!"

Izuka and Gaara turned their heads to in time for Kankuro to take a photo of the two. "This will make a great postcard."

"KANKURO!" yelled the Kazekage and Sage. The two then chased after the puppeteer throughout the suite.

"Looks like these wigs will have to wait." replied Temari in an exasperated tone. She took the box of wigs and placed it in hers and Izuka's room.

A few minutes later, Temari walked out of the bedroom with her video camera in her hands to see that Izuka and Gaara were still chasing after Kankuro for his camera.

Temari let a mischievous smile crawl onto her face. _"This is so going on YouTube."_ she thought.

She then joined the chase around the suite, filming every second of the funny scene unfolding in front of her.

End of Chapter 16

**A/N: Don't you just love wigs. I know I do. A third side chapter is planned in the near future, but for now, we'll be getting back to the main story, in the next chapter. In the meantime, look out for my next chapter of "A Sage, Some Siblings, and a Whole Lot of Song Parodies."**

**Please review and vote on my poll.**

**BTW: Ulquiorra belongs to Tite Kubo, the creator of Bleach.**


	17. Amegakure, Here we Come!

Chapter 17: Amegakure, Here we Come

"That was one fun festival." exclaimed Kankuro as he lounged on the living room sofa inside the Sage and the Sand Siblings' suite within the Wind Daimyo's palace.

"You've got that right. So many stores to browse through, so little time." replied Temari as she was sealing away her purchases in some spare scrolls.

"Now that the Grand Festival is over, it's now time to focus on the real task at hand." replied Izuka as she came out of hers and Temari's bedroom drying her wet blonde hair.

Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari gave each other somber looks. Tomorrow was the day that the four, along with Daisuke the advisor, would travel to Amegakure to confront the country's dictator.

"I hope the dictator is an open-minded guy." replied Kankuro as he sat up on the couch.

"I wouldn't bet on it considering Amegakure's history with dictators." said Gaara as he leaned against a wall and crossed his arms.

"That's right. Amegakure is a country not only known for its rainy weather, but for their cruel dictators." replied Temari as she sealed the last shopping bag in its scroll.

"Especially Hanzo." answered Izuka as she took a seat next to Kankuro.

Everyone shuddered at the thought of Hanzo and what he did during his time as Amegakure's leader. (**A/N:** For the sake of this story, Hanzo is going to be portrayed as a cruel dictator.)

"Well we can't think of those days. We have to stay focus for the upcoming mission." replied Temari as she took a seat on the couch opposite of Kankuro and Izuka. Gaara sat right next to her.

"You're right Temari, we have to stay focused. Does anyone know what Amegakure's current dictator looks like by the way?" asked Izuka.

Everyone else shook their heads no.

Gaara was the next person to speak. "The leader of Amegakure always works and resides in the tallest building of Amegakure's main city. The thing is, the leader is so private, that he never leaves the place except to battle an opponent."

"Kinda sounds like you, little bro." replied Kankuro.

Gaara gave Kankuro a murderous glare. Kankuro nervously looked away.

"Anyway" replied Gaara as he returned his attention to Izuka and Temari. "Even though he only leaves his tower to battle opponents that cross him, he wins every single time. None of his opponents have ever survived."

"Huh. He definetly sounds like one tough dude." replied Izuka as she started to braid her hair back into pigtails.

"Which means we have to be careful when we speak to him." replied Temari as she gave Kankuro a stern look.

"Hey, I care about Suna. I'll behave for the sake of the village, I promise." replied Kankuro as he raised his hands up in defense.

"You better." commented Temari as she looked away.

"You don't think I can handle myself in a serious situation, do you?" asked Kankuro in a condescending tone.

"Now what makes you say that." replied Temari sarcastically.

"Seriously sis? You can't trust me to behave myself in front of the dictator? Way to support me sis." said an annoyed Kankuro.

"Sorry Kankuro, but you haven't shown me anything to make me think otherwise." replied Temari.

"Really? I haven't shown you anything to prove otherwise? How about during the council meetings?"

"You're either sleeping, daydreaming, or reading a porn magazine under your work papers during the council meetings." replied Izuka.

"How do you know that I read porn during the meetings sometimes?" asked Kankuro as he pointed accusingly at Izuka.

"Mibiku told me. He always sees you reading them since he sits right next to you during the meetings." answered Izuka.

Gaara and Temari gave the face-painted puppeteer stunned looks. It was Gaara who spoke next.

"We all know that you sleep and daydream during the meetings, but really, a freaking PORN MAGAZINE!?" exclaimed Gaara as he stared down his brother.

"You know you're not supposed to do anything that would defy the sanctity of the meeting room." cried Temari.

Kankuro looked down at the floor in shame. "I'm sorry, but the meetings can get so boring at times. I was just trying to spice things up for myself, that's all. It's not like I have a private porn collection under my bed."

Kankuro slapped his hand over his mouth after he spoke that last sentence. Gaara, Izuka, and Temari looked at him like he had just got infected by a deadly disease.

"KANKURO!" they all screamed together.

Kankuro just scratched his head and blushed red in embarrassment.

"As soon as we get back home, I am going to personally burn every single magazine that you have under your bed." exclaimed Temari as her face flushed red in anger.

At seeing his sister get angry at him, Kankuro high-tailed it straight for his and Gaara's room.

Temari ran after him.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Izuka and Gaara looked at the door of the bedroom on the suite's right. They looked at each other.

"Serves him right for a dirty habit." commented Izuka.

"I should have known that Kankuro was like this." replied Gaara.

"Eh, it's not your fault he ended up like that. He probably was dropped on his head a lot." said Izuka.

"Probably more times than I can count." answered Gaara in return.

As the two continued to listen to Kankuro's pained screams and Temari's shouts of anger, there was a knock on the front door.

"I wonder who could that be." replied Izuka as she got up and walked to the door.

"Probably one of the Wind Daimyo's advisors." answered Gaara as he leaned back into his seat.

Izuka turned the knob and opened the door. The visitor was Daisuke.

"Oh, hey Daisuke." greeted Izuka.

"Hello Lady Sage. Sorry to interrupt whatever is going on in there, but there is a visitor here to see you guys, especially you."

"Me?" asked Izuka.

"Yep." replied Daisuke. He moved out of the door way to let the visitor come in. The visitor was a slim and small purple Chinese dragon that was the length of Izuka's arm.

"Ryu!" exclaimed Izuka.

"Found you master." replied the dragon as she crawled onto Izuka's shoulders.

Gaara got up from his seat to join the small group at the doorway.

"Hello Ryu." greeted Gaara as he looked at the dragon resting on Izuka's shoulders.

"Gaara." greeted Ryu as she gave him a small nod. "Where are your brother and sister?"

"Temari is beating up Kankuro for reasons that I don't want to go into." was Gaara's answer.

"Okay then, but something tells me that the reason for Kankuro's beat down is supposedly M-rated." replied Ryu.

"Oh boy." commented Daisuke.

"Well then, now that you're here, the travel time to Amegakure will be a lot shorter." said Izuka.

"Wait a second. You guys are now going to Amegakure?" asked Ryu in an incredulous voice.

"Yeah, we'll explain the details to you later, but first things first: Do you want to join us for this mission?" asked Gaara.

"Are you kidding me?" said Ryu. "Of course I'll join you guys. Amegakure, here we come!"

End of Chapter 17

**A/N: Yay! I finally got around to bringing Izuka's dragon Ryu into the story. And it took me until my 17****th**** chapter to do it. Please review and vote on my poll. I'm starting to get tired of asking you guys that. X) BTW, Hanzo is an actual Naruto character that belongs to Misashi Kimimoto, the creater of Naruto.**


	18. Gaara's Wake Up Call

Chapter 18: Gaara's Wakeup Call

The first rays of sunlight broke through the misty clouds of Mizukari City as its citizens groggily got out of their homes to start a new day. Who can blame them? The last day of the Grand Festival was yesterday and it ended in a big bonanza.

Kankuro walked out of his and Gaara's bedroom to the kitchen, where he found Izuka making breakfast.

"Morning." he yawned as he took a seat on a nearby stool.

"Back at yah." replied Izuka as she flipped a pancake on the griddle.

"What are you making?" asked a suddenly interested Kankuro as he smelled the aroma of the delicious food on the stove.

"Pancakes, bacon, and eggs." replied Izuka as she poked at the sizzling bacon strips.

"Pancakes? Please tell me you're making each of our favorites." whined Kankuro.

"Don't I always." replied Izuka.

"Oh. Good point." answered Kankuro.

Ryu slithered into the room.

"Hey Ryu!" exclaimed Kankuro as the dragon crawled onto the stool next to him.

"'Ello Kankuro, I see you've healed from your wounds quite nicely." commented Ryu as she looked over Kankuro.

"Your master is quite a nurse." chuckled Kankuro as he awkwardly scratched his head.

Temari walked into the kitchen while towel drying her hair. She took the stool next to Ryu. She sniffed the air.

"You better be making my favorite." replied Temari.

"What else could I be making?" asked Izuka sarcastically. Temari gave her a frown.

Before Temari could make a retort, Ryu piped up. "Is Gaara still sleeping?"

"YES!" replied everyone else. Ryu chuckled.

"It's already 9:45 a.m." replied Ryu.

"Apparently, Gaara will take the opportunity to sleep in whenever he doesn't need to go to his job." replied Temari.

"Yeah, and whenever he wakes up, he has a serious case of bad bed head." laughed Kankuro. Ryu joined him in his laughter.

"By the way, it's your turn to wake him up." Temari said to Izuka.

Izuka only shrugged and turned off the stove. She walked over to Gaara's and Kankuro's room.

"Oh, this I got to see." replied Kankuro as he ran after Izuka. Ryu and Temari followed them.

"Explain to me again why it's a must see when it comes to waking up Gaara." asked Ryu as she crawled onto Temari's shoulders.

"Ma, Kankuro, and Izuka like to think of creative ways to wake up Gaara. The first few weeks of wake up duty were kind of boring, so the three of us decided to spice things up a little." answered Temari.

"Oh, poor Gaara, but I bet it makes for amazing YouTube videos." replied Ryu.

"Oh, it does." commented Temari.

The four walked into the bedroom to find Gaara still sleeping. He was lying on his bed like a gingerbread man would after coming out of an oven during holiday time.

"How is sleeping like that comfortable?" asked Ryu.

"When it comes to Gaara, he doesn't care about what position he is in. If he sleps, he's good." replied Kankuro as he got his video camera out of his backpack to video the wake-up call.

"Go ahead, Izuka." whispered Temari.

Izuka just nodded and looked around the room. Then a thought came to her. "Kankuro, do you still have those novelty drumsticks from the festival?"

Kankuro nodded and took the drumsticks out of his backpack. He handed them to Izuka.

"What are you going to do with them?" he asked.

"You'll see." said Izuka as she smirked.

Izuka walked over to Gaara's head with the drumsticks in hand. Then, her eyes changed color from her usual ice blue ones to bright pink.

(**A/N: **For the sake of my stories, the color pink will represent the element sound.)

A mischievous smirk crept onto Izuka's face as she started to bang the drumsticks together.

"FIREWORKS!" she yelled as she smacked the drumsticks together so fast that it sounded like fireworks being set off.

Gaara jumped out of bed and landed straight on his stomach on the ground. He looked up to give Izuka a tired, but annoying glare.

"You just had to use drumsticks this time." said Gaara in a defeated monotone.

Izuka leaned down closer to him. "Breakfast is ready."

Izuka stood back up and walked back to the kitchen. Gaara got up from his spot on the floor and looked at Kankuro, Temari, and Ryu, who were still in the room.

"Got enough footage?" asked Gaara as he pointed at Kankuro's video camera.

"Hell yeah!" exclaimed Kankuro as he put away his camera. He walked out of the bedroom for the kitchen, followed by Temari, Ryu, and finally Gaara, who was smoothing out his bed head.

When they reached the kitchen, Izuka was already preparing the plates.

"Ok. The blueberry pancakes are Kankuro's, the cinnamon pancakes are Temari's, the chocolate chip pancakes are Gaara's, the strawberry pancakes are Ryu's, and the buttermilk pancakes are mine. Any questions?" Izuka asked.

Everyone shook their heads no.

"Good. Let's eat." replied Izuka. Everyone said their thanks and started to stuff their mouths with pancakes.

"These are so good. Too bad they aren't waffles." replied Kankuro through a mouth of food.

"I would have made waffles, but the kitchen doesn't have a waffle iron." replied Izuka as she swallowed a bite of her buttermilk pancake.

"The Wind Daimyo has a lot of riches, but can't seem to equip his kitchens with waffle irons?" replied Kankuro.

"Ironic, isn't it?" replied Ryu as she clawed her way through her pancakes.

Everyone laughed at the irony.

Temari swallowed a piece of her eggs. "Let's finish up quickly. We have to meet up with Daisuke outside the city gates for our mission, remember?"

Everyone nodded their heads in acknowledgement.

"Yeah, yeah, we remember. Looks like I'm gonna have to wait a little longer to upload the video on YouTube." sighed Kankuro.

Gaara gave a small sigh of relief at that.

Then Ryu spoke again. "You know what that wakeup call reminded me of, "Wakeup Call" by Maroon 5."

"Oh yeah." said Temari. "The only thing is that Gaara is single and hasn't shot anyone."

"I would have shot Kankuro because he videotaped it." said Gaara in a cold monotone.

Kankuro ran straight for the bedroom, took up his camera, and erased the video.

While Kankuro was doing that, Gaara chuckled. Temari, Izuka, and Ryu looked at him like he was crazy. Then realization dawned on them. They soon joined him in his laughter.

"That was cold, Gaara." said Izuka in between giggles.

"I know, but it was well deserved." said Gaara.

End of chapter 18.

**A/n: I like Maroon 5. Gaara played a joke on Kankuro. Kankuro deserved it. Sorry, if this chapter isn't as funny as my previous ones. I'm a bit tired today. Please review and visit my profile page and vote on my poll.**


	19. Thank You for Flying Dragon Airways

Chapter 19: Thank you for Flying Dragon Airways

After everyone finished their breakfast, they cleaned themselves up, packed their bags, and left their suite. They walked out of the palace and into the streets of Mizukari City, which was bustling with activity.

"This city never takes a break does it?" asked Kankuro as he scanned the street.

"It's busier than Suna, I'll give it that." commented Temari as she looked at the bustling street in wonder.

Temari looked over at Izuka and Gaara, who were walking behind her and Kankuro. Ryu was in her usual position, Izuka's shoulders.

"Izuka, Gaara, where's Daisuke? He's supposed to be coming with us." asked Temari.

Gaara looked over at his older sister. "He said he was going to meet us outside of the city's gates. Something about doing a last minute errand for the Wind Daimyo."

Temari nodded and went back to looking in front of her. It took them the next half hour to reach the city gates. Upon their arrival, they were greeted by the gate's guards.

"Hello everybody. I hope you guys had a great stay in Mizukari City." said the guard with the handlebar moustache.

"Thank you." said Izuka. The others nodded their heads and walked out the city. The group walked for a good quarter-mile before stopping at a couple of big oak trees.

"We should wait for Daisuke here. Since these trees are right next to the main road, he shouldn't have a hard time spotting us." said Temari as she took off her backpack and sat on the ground.

"Agreed." exclaimed Izuka, Kankuro, and Gaara as they took off their packs and sat down.

Ryu crawled onto Gaara's shoulders. "Okay, I know the purpose of this mission is to try to convince Amegakure's dictator to not wage war on Suna, but have any of you guys considered the possibility that it might be all a joke to him?"

Izuka gave Ryu a questioning look. "What are you getting at Ryu?

"I'm just saying that we should be on high alert. It may be just a peace mission, but who knows what could happen. It could even be a trap for all we know." continued Ryu in her high pitched voice.

Kankuro smacked Ryu upside her head. "Stop thinking negatively! Think positively!" exclaimed Kankuro.

Izuka slapped Kankuro upside his head. "OWWW! What was that for?" he asked as he rubbed his temple.

"That was for slapping my dragon." commented Izuka with a cold stare directed at the puppeteer.

Kankuro nervously turned away. He couldn't stand cold stares.

Temari came in with. "Ryu does have a point though. We should all stay on high alert for the sake of this mission."

Gaara jumped into the conversation. "You shouldn't mess with Ryu anyways, Kankuro. If you brush her the wrong way, she'll squish you with her paw."

"Or claw you up and maul you." added Temari with a shrug.

Kankuro was about to yell at them, but was interrupted by a familiar voice. "There you guys are!"

The five of them turned their heads to see Daisuke run up on the main road. When he reached them, he took off his backpack and bent down to catch his breath.

"I didn't think you guy would walk this far from the gate. When I said I would meet you guys in front of the city gates, I meant literally right outside it, not a soccer field away." he said in between breaths.

"Sorry." chorused the four teens and small dragon.

Daisuke curiously looked at the group. "So are we going to get to Amegakure on foot?"

Temari and Kankuro gave Daisuke a grin while Izuka and Gaara smirked at each other. Ryu crawled off Izuka's shoulders and onto the ground.

"What's with the grins and stares?" asked a nervous Daisuke.

"It's better that I show you how we're going to get to Amegakure." said Ryu matter-of-factly.

Daisuke gave Ryu a questioning look. The look soon turned into a look of amazement as he watched Ryu grow into her true size. She went from being a three foot long dragon to a 35 foot one.

Kankuro took a photo of Daisuke's face, which resembled a fish out of water.

"This will make an excellent calling card." snickered Kankuro.

Temari slapped him in the face.

"Daisuke, are you all right?" asked Gaara as he stood next to the advisor.

"Yeah, I'm just a little surprised that's all." answered Daisuke.

"The feeling of surprise is not a good emotion to have while on a mission." answered Izuka as she leapt onto Ryu's back.

"Another one of your wise, sagely statements Izzy?" asked Kankuro as he joined Izuka on Ryu's back.

"Nah, I got that line from the back of a cereal box." answered Izuka nonchalantly.

Kankuro face palmed and Temari took a photo of him in that position. Daisuke and Gaara, on the other hand, tried in vain to not chuckle.

"Really! You got that line from a cereal box!?" exclaimed Kankuro as he picked his face off of Ryu's back.

"I was only kidding Kankuro." answered Izuka.

Kankuro slammed his face back into Ryu's back. Everyone except Izuka laughed.

"GOOD ONE, IZZY!" yelled Temari in between her hysteric giggles.

"Thank you and can you please STOP CALLING ME IZZY!" yelled Izuka with a cold glare to match.

Temari, Daisuke, Ryu, and Gaara all stopped laughing instantly.

"Is the Lady Sage always like this?" Daisuke asked Gaara.

"Gaara sighed. "Only when we call her Izzy, but most of the time, she's usually the calm one in the group."

"If that's the case, what are you in the group?" asked Daisuke.

"I'd rather not answer that." was Gaara's reply. He jumped and joined Izuka and Kankuro on Ryu.

Daisuke only shrugged and soon joined them on the dragon.

Temari put away her camera, picked up her stuff, and jumped on Ryu.

Ryu looked over her shoulder. "None of you guys are forgetting anything are you?"

Everyone shook their heads no in response.

"Alright then, make sure you guys hold on tight, get comfortable, and thank you for flying on dragon airways." Ryu stated.

Ryu slithered onto the main road. She ran for about ten feet before leaping into the air. She soared up into the air until she leveled herself about a good 10,000 feet above ground.

"Y'all good?" asked Ryu as she looked over her shoulder once again. Everyone nodded their heads yes.

"Good." replied Ryu. She then turned west.

"Amegakure, here we come!" stated Kankuro as he looked out into the sky.

What's going to happen next? Nobody knows, for now.

End of chapter 19.  
**A/N: Happy Thanksgiving Everybody! You know what I'm thankful for; my family, my friends, my health, and Byakuya still being alive. Thank the sereitei yes. Please review, vote on my poll, and visit my profile page. **


	20. Rain on the Misunderstandings!

Chapter 20: Rain on the Misunderstandings!

It has already been eight hours since the group left Mizukari City for Amegakure. Izuka looked over to the west, where the sun was already setting.

"The sun is setting already and we are nowhere near Amegakure." said Izuka as she turned back to the others.

"How much longer will this trip take?" asked Kankuro as he looked over at Daisuke.

"Judging by this map the Wind Daimyo gave me and our current location, Amegakure should still be at least an hour away." answered Daisuke as he put his map back into his bag.

Kankuro and Temari whined in frustration. Gaara inwardly groaned. Izuka just gave off a blank stare.

"Well, that's good news for me." said Ryu. "I'm starting to get tired of flying you guys."

"It's Kankuro's fault!" yelled Temari in instant response.

"Hey! Why you blaming me for something I didn't do?" asked Kankuro as he growled in frustration.

"Sorry, it's because your fat." responded Temari with a shrug.

"Can't you get off my case already?" asked Kankuro.

"I'm your older sister. It's my job to always get on your case." said Temari.

"But you don't need to be so blunt about it." answered Kankuro in return.

"When am I ever not blunt?" said Temari.

Kankuro gave her a wide-eyed look. "Good point." he said in defeat.

"Point to Temari." said Izuka. Gaara and Daisuke shook their heads in agreement.

The group rode on in silence throughout the next hour until they noticed a large mass of storm clouds in the near distance.

"We're finally here." said Temari as she looked at the darkened sky. She turned her attention to her youngest brother.

"Gaara, I suggest you seal your gourd in a scroll, so it won't get wet."

"That's a good idea." said Gaara. He looked over at Izuka. "May I please use one of your scrolls, Izzy?"

"You may." said Izuka. She went into her backpack and took out an empty scroll. She handed it to Gaara. Temari and Kankuro gave Izuka questioning looks.

"What?" asked Izuka as she looked over at the two older siblings.

"Why so lenient Izuka?" asked Temari. "You always give us an earful whenever we call you Izzy, but for the past few weeks, you've barely chewed Gaara out for calling you that nickname."

"Yeah, and he calls you Izzy the most." added Kankuro as he raised an eyebrow at the Sage.

"Are you two dating?" said Daisuke out of the blue.

Temari and Kankuro gave each other mischievous grins as Izuka and Gaara blushed strawberry red.

"You are late sir." said Kankuro as he continued to grin from ear to ear.

"What do you mean?" asked Daisuke as he put his hood on his head.

Ryu had finally flown into Rain Country territory and it was pouring cats and dogs. Everyone else followed his lead and put their cloak hoods on.

"Well, have you heard our song parodies on YouTube?" asked Temari.

"I've heard your parodies and they're all really good." said Daisuke. "The thing is, I haven't been on the Internet for at least a month now thanks to all the jobs I do for the Daimyo."

Everyone gave Daisuke understanding looks, except Kankuro, who was imitating that famous painting _The Scream._

"Well, you are missing one heck of a video, I'll give you that." said Temari.

"How many videos have you guys uploaded in the past month?" asked Daisuke.

"Plenty." answered Kankuro. "But none of the videos compare to the one we did of Gaara and Izuka together." he added with a wink.

"Oh, you guys did a duet?" asked Daisuke as he turned his attention to the Lady Sage and Kazekage, whose faces were still red in embarrassment.

"They didn't do a duet." said Kankuro with a sly smirk.

"What did they do then?" asked Daisuke in sincere confusion.

"They did the dance of love." answered Kankuro.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Daisuke as he gave Izuka and Gaara appalled looks.

Izuka and Gaara's faces turned an even deeper shade of red as soon as they figured out what "dance of love" meant when Kankuro said it in a pervy tone of voice.

Temari took the initiative to stop the verbal carnage by smacking Kankuro upside his hand with her fan.

"OWWW!" yelled Kankuro in pain as he rubbed his bruised temple.

"WHAT THE HELL KANKURO? IZUKA AND GAARA DID NOT DO NO DANCE OF LOVE!" yelled Temari as she screamed at him at the top of her lungs.

"They didn't do . . . "it"?" asked Daisuke as he started to relax his face.

"No. Kankuro and I videotaped Gaara singing a parody of Three Days Grace's "Last to Know" calling it "First to Show", which was basically him expressing his feelings for Izuka. Izuka walked into the room and heard the whole thing. Then Gaara expressed his feelings for her and the two eventually kissed and established their relationship." said Temari as she calmed down.

"And you guys uploaded the video on YouTube?" asked an incredulous Daisuke.

"Yep and so far the video has over 75 million hits. It's our most successful one!" exclaimed Kankuro, momentarily forgetting the throbbing pain in his head.

Daisuke looked over at Gaara and Izuka, whose faces were starting to return to normal. "I'm so sorry you have to deal with these two everday."

"HEY!" yelled Kankuro and Temari and unison.

"It's alright." responded Gaara with a tired look on his face.

"We live with them so we have to get used to it." added Izuka as she looked at her red haired boyfriend.

"C'mon guys, it's not that bad." said Kankuro.

Daisuke turned to the puppeteer, "A few things Kankuro. One: You and Temari had no right to videotape Izuka and Gaara having an intimate moment with each other."

"While hiding in Gaara's closet, no less." added Izuka.

Daisuke gave Kankuro and Temari horrified looks. "You were videotaping them while hiding in Gaara's closet?"

"All for the sake of videoing Gaara singing a parody; it was more than we bargained for." responded Kankuro.

Daisuke shook his head "Two: You had no right to exploit Gaara and Izuka's intimate moment by putting it on YouTube."

"Couples do it all the time." said Kankuro with a shrug.

"Did you have their permission?" asked Daisuke as he crossed his arms.

"No." replied Temari while Kankuro gave Daisuke a sheepish grin.

Daisuke continued his rant. "Three: Did you even think about Gaara's and Izuka's fans. Thanks to their high status, they both have growing fan bases. With their fans watching that video, how are their fans taking this news?"

"The comments have mostly been pleasant." said Kankuro with sincerity.

Daisuke turned his attention to Gaara and Izuka. "What about the regular fan mail."

"Since that video had been posted, I've been getting plenty of mail telling me good luck and to treat Izuka well." said Gaara.

"Really?" asked Daisuke. Temari, Izuka, and Kankuro gave him surprised looks.

"Apparently, they think if I make Izuka really mad, well . . . "' Gaara trailed off as he looked at his girlfriend's stomach, which was where the seal for the tailed beasts were.

"Oh." Daisuke, Kankuro, and Temari chorused, understanding what Gaara was trying to say. Baiscally, don't make the holder of eight tailed beasts angry. Izuka gave Gaara an apologetic look.

"What about your crazy fan girls?" asked Temari.

"They've been sending me death threats." answered Gaara. Everyone sweat dropped.

"What about you Lady Sage?" asked Daisuke.

Izuka gave the group a sincere look. "It's the exact same thing for me, except I'm getting death threats from both crazy fan girls and crazy fan boys."

"Sorry." Gaara apologized.

"No worries." Izuka answered him back.

"Besides, you two can easily beat those crazy fans' asses if they ever come in between you guys." said Kankuro as he pumped his fist in the air.

Everybody gave Kankuro deadpans.

"Too much?" he asked.

"Just a little." said Temari.

"Hey guys!" yelled Ryu as she entered the conversation.

"What is it Ryu?" asked Izuka.

"The capital city of Amegakure is just up ahead." exclaimed Ryu.

The group looked east to see the gleaming and awkward looking skyscrapers of Amegakure's main city.

"Ryu, land in front of the city's gate; we don't want to barge in to the place." said Izuka.

"Copy that." said Ryu in response.

The large dragon started to fly downward for landing.

"Ready everyone?" asked Daisuke as he placed his backpack on his back.

Everyone nodded their heads yes.

"Besides, the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we could get out of this rain." said Izuka.

Gaara firmly nodded his head, knowing very well how much he wanted to get out of this never ending rainstorm.

End of chapter 20

**A/N: If you readers want to get more info on how Izuka's and Gaara's relationship started, please read Parody 11 of my other story "A Sage, Some Siblings, and a Whole Lot of Song Parodies."**

"**Last to Know" belongs to Three Days Grace.**

_**"The Scream" **_**is a famous painting by Edvard Munch.**

**Please review and send in your criticism. It helps for better stories.**

**Birthday Shout Outs: Happy birthday to Bleach's Ulquiorra Cifer, whose birthday is today December 1. Happy birthday you sexy batman! :)**


	21. The Dictator

Chapter 21: The Dictator

Ryu landed about 30 feet in front of the southern gate of Amegakure's main city. Izuka, Gaara, Daisuke, Temari, and Kankuro all climbed off of Ryu as the dragon started to shrink herself into her miniature form. She then climbed onto Izuka's shoulders.

"Let's get this over with shall we? I'm already tired of this constant rain." asked Kankuro as he led the group to the gate's security checkpoint.

The security checkpoint was manned by four guards wearing the standard Amegakure shinobi attire. One of the guards, who had a pencil moustache, walked over to the approaching group.

"Lord Kazekage-san, Lady Sage-san, you and your friends are expected at our leader's tower. I am supposed to escort you there." said the guard.

"Very well then." answered Gaara. "Show us the way."

The guard nodded his head and led the group through the gate and into the inner workings of the city. The city was full of skyscrapers; the shortest building was only five stories tall.

"Wow! These people love to live above ground don't they?" said Kankuro as he looked around at his surroundings.

"In the past, the storms that bombarded our city were so disastrous, that we were basically a 24/7 flood zone." said the guard. "It was the city architects' idea to build these skyscrapers, but there is a rule to living in these buildings."

"What is it?" asked Temari.

"It is forbidden for anyone to live on any floor below the third one, you can only use them for businesses." answered the guard.

"I see." said Izuka.

The group walked the rest of the way to the dictator's tower in silence. When they reached the building, Ryu's and Kankuro's jaws dropped at the sight of it.

"I knew that the dictator lived in the tallest building in Amegakure, but I didn't think that the building would be this tall. It looked smaller when we were riding on Ryu." exclaimed Kankuro.

"Appearances can be deceiving." said the guard as he walked towards the large front doors of the building. The group followed after him.

The group walked through another checkpoint that was guarded by even more menacing Rain-nin as they entered the building's lobby. The lobby was about two stories tall and simple in design with portraits of Amegakure's previous leaders lining the walls. A see through elevator lined the wall opposite the group.

"My job stops here." said the guard. He turned to Daisuke and the teenagers. "All you have to do is take that elevator over there to the 50th floor. That is where you'll find our leader's office."

"Thank you." said Gaara he walked past the guard and led the group to the elevator. As soon as everybody entered the machine, Gaara pressed the button for the 50th floor. The doors closed and the platform the group was standing on started to rise up.

Izuka looked to her left to see Kankuro slightly shaking. "Kankuro, what's wrong?"

Everyone turned to look at the shaking puppeteer.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just not used to elevators, that's all." said Kankuro, but his voice slightly trembled at the end.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of elevators?" asked Temari as she raised an eyebrow at her brother.

"I'm not afraid of elevators. I'm just afraid of the really, really tall ones." said Kankuro as he closed his eyes.

"Don't worry Kankuro. The ride's almost over anyway." said Gaara as the sign above the elevator door indicated that the elevator has stopped on the 50th floor.

The elevator doors opened to a light blue room, which resembled a waiting area. There were a few couches along the walls and a secretary's desk in front of a large pair of mahogany doors. The woman at the desk looked to be about in her mid-thirties. She had green eyes, short raven colored hair, and was dressed in a simple kimono.

"Hello?" said Daisuke, suddenly unsure of what to say.

The woman looked up from her paperwork. "Oh hello; you are the shinobi from the Wind Country?" she asked.

"Indeed." said Gaara as he stepped forward.

Recognizing who Izuka and Gaara were, the secretary stood up from her desk. "Welcome Kazekage-san, Lady Sage-san, and friends. If you give me just a second, I'll tell my boss you're here."

"Go ahead." said Gaara.

"Thank you." answered the secretary. She walked to the mahogany doors, opened them, and went inside. A few minutes later, she walked back out.

"He will see you now, but only the Wind Daimyo's advisor, the Lady Sage, and you may enter his office. Your siblings and the dragon will have to stay out here in the waiting area." said the secretary as she took her seat at her desk.

"Understandable." Gaara concluded. He turned to Daisuke and Izuka. "Ready?"

The two nodded their heads yes. Gaara turned to his siblings and Ryu.

"Will be back in a few." said Gaara. The three nodded their heads and went to sit on the couches.

Gaara, Izuka, and Daisuke walked past the secretary and through the mahogany doors into the dictator's office.

The dictator's office was darkly lit, but the three could still see the walls decorated with bookshelves and a large mahogany desk in the center of the room. The chair at the desk was turned towards the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Ah, you have finally made it." said a deep voice coming from the chair.

The chair began to spin around to reveal the dictator. Izuka, Gaara, and Daisuke were stunned, not because they finally got to see what the dictator looked like, but because he was so young in age.

"Didn't see this coming." whispered Izuka to Daisuke. Daisuke could only nod his head in agreement. Gaara just stared.

The dictator looked to be about the same age as Izuka and Gaara. He had raven colored hair, green eyes, and a porcelain complexion. He was wearing robes similar to what Gaara's wears when he's in his office, except the tunic underneath the white robe was a purplish-black color.

"Hello Kazekage-san, Lady Sage-san, advisor-san. Welcome to Amegakure. My name is Seiriyu Kotawashi; I am the leader of Amegakure." said Seiriyu as he stood up from his chair and shook Gaara's hand.

"Nice to finally meet you Kotowashi-san." said Gaara as he returned the gesture. Seiriyu moved on to Izuka.

"Lady Sage-san, it is an honor to meet you." said Seiriyu as he shook her hand. He then kissed it like a gentleman would.

"Likewise Seiriyu-san." said Izuka as she shot him a wayward look. Daisuke looked at Gaara, who only gave him a blank stare.

After Seiriyu shook hands with Daisuke, he went back to his desk and sat in his chair. "Now, what brings you hear to good old Amegakure?"

"_Like he doesn't know already."_ thought Izuka, which Gaara heard with his mind.

"We are here as representatives of the Wind Daimyo. We are here to make peace with you and your country after we have heard that you are planning to wage war with the Wind country." said Gaara.

A thoughtful look crossed over the dictator's face. "Ah yes, the proclamation of war; I almost forgot about that." said Seiriyu, with honesty laced through his voice as he scratched his head.

If the situation wasn't serious, Daisuke, Gaara, and Izuka would have face palmed by now. Instead, they all settled with just giving the dictator completely blank stares.

"Sorry about that." said Seiriyu as he gave them apologetic nods.

Before either of the three could say anything, there was a sharp knock at the door.

"Come in." said Seriyu as everyone turned their heads to the door just in time to see the secretary pop her head into the room.

"Sir, your meeting with the village elders starts in 15 minutes." said the secretary with a stoic expression.

"I see. Thank you my dear." said Seiriyu. He turned to Gaara, Daisuke, and Izuka. "Sorry, duty calls."

"When are we going to speak of the matter between Amegakure and Sunagakure?" asked Izuka as she stood in the dictator's way.

"After my meeting with the elders, I'm booked throughout the day. How about we discuss this during dinner tonight, my treat." said Seiriyu as he walked passed her. He turned to Gaara and Daisuke.

"How about it? You're siblings and the dragon is invited as well. Besides, it's better to talk about things during a good occasion than a bad one." said Seiriyu.

"What do you think Gaara-san?" asked Daisuke as he walked closer to the young Kazekage.

Gaara looked over at Izuka. When she looked at him, she shrugged.

"It couldn't hurt." she said, but there was a hint of uncertainty to her voice.

Gaara let out a sigh and looked at the young dictator. "Seiriyu-san, we gladly accept your invitation to dinner."

"Excellent!" exclaimed Seiriyu. "Dinner will start in three hours. My secretary will show you where you all will be staying during your time here."

Seiriyu opened the door for Daisuke, Izuka, and Gaara to walk through. "See you all at seven." said Seiriyu as he closed the door behind them.

Gaara, Daisuke, and Izuka walked over to Ryu, Temari, and Kankuro, who met them halfway.

"Is that teenage boy with the raven hair the dictator?" asked Kankuro as he stared wide-eyed at the doors.

"Yes; his name is Seiriyu Kotowashi. He's probably the same age as me and Gaara." said Izuka as she crossed her arms.

"And he's the guy everyone says doesn't leave his office and defeats every opponent that he faced who tried to cross him?" asked Ryu, who was perched on Kankuro's shoulders.

Daisuke, Izuka, and Gaara all nodded their heads yes.

"Wow, the people of the world are getting stronger and stronger with each generation." Ryu concluded.

"You can say that again." said Daisuke as he looked at the secretary who was walking over to the group as they spoke.

"Follow me. I'll show you to your rooms." said the secretary as she led the group to the elevator.

"Thank you. By the way, what is your name?" asked Daisuke as the group entered the elevator.

"My name is Mioka, but you can call me Mio." said the secretary as she pressed the button to close the elevator. She pressed another button and the group made their way down.

Back in his office, Seiriyu sat back in his chair at his desk. After five minutes passed, a knock was heard on his door.

"Come in." he said in a cold tone.

The door opened to reveal five elderly men dressed in white robes. They were a few of the members of the Amegakure council.

"Have they arrived yet, Lord Seiriyu?" asked the tallest elder who had a long gray beard.

"The Kazekage, Lady Sage, advisor, and the rest of their travel party are already here. Right now, my secretary is showing them to their rooms." answered Seiriyu.

"Excellent and not a moment too soon." said a second elder who had a gray, bushy moustache.

"My thoughts exactly Elder Kālu." replied Seiriyu. He turned his chair away from them to face the windows.

"Soon, not only will Sunagakure fall and the Kazekage dies at my hands, but the Lady Sage will be mine. I guarantee it."

End of chapter 21

**A/N: We've got our bad guy. What are Seriyu's plans for our group? Will Gaara die at his hands? Will he get Izuka? Read and review to find out. Also vote on my poll.**


	22. Jealous Anyone?

Chapter 22: Jealous Anyone?

The elevator stopped and let the group off on the 20th floor of the building. Izuka, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Daisuke, and Ryu followed Mioka down the long hallway until they reached an ornate green door.

"You all will be staying in the rooms behind this door." says Mioka as she opens the doors for the group.

The group step into the room to see that it was a posh suite with a living room, kitchen, and at least five bedrooms. Two were on the right side of the suite while the other three were on the left.

"The girls' rooms are on the right. The boys are on the left." continued Mioka.

Kankuro ran through the suite to check out the bedrooms.

"Sweet! Each one has its own bathroom!" yelled Kankuro from the last bedroom on the right.

"I see the suite is at your brother's liking." commented Mioka as she turns to Gaara.

"He just gets excited about everything, that's all." returned Gaara as he walked deeper into the suite and sat in one of the living room's couches.

"Lady Sage san?" questioned Mioka as she turned her attention to Izuka.

"It'll do." said Izuka with a smirk as she continued to observe Kankuro running around the suite with a smile on his face and squealing like one of her fan boys.

"Okay then. Remember, dinner starts at seven sharp on the 30th floor. Clothes have already been provided for you to wear for the dinner. You'll find them in your rooms' closets."

"Thank you Mioka." said Izuka as she walked her back to the door.

"I'm just doing my job Lady Sage." said Mioka with a smile as she left the suite, closing the door behind her.

"Wait a sec. We've been invited to dinner?" asked Kankuro as he finally calmed down long enough to take a seat next to Gaara on the couch.

"Yes. The dictator is currently too busy to hear us out right now, so he has decided to invite us to dinner tonight. Even Ryu is invited." said Daisuke as he took a seat on the other side of Gaara.

"I feel so remembered." commented Ryu as she wiped an imaginary tear from her eye.

"Sweet! A nice room and free food? The dictator seems like a nice guy to me right now." said Kankuro as he picked up his feet and laid them on the coffee table in front of him.

"You do know it is a formal dinner, right? We're expected to wear the clothes they have provided for us for the occasion." said Temari matter of factly.

"I hate the man." said Kankuro bluntly.

"Because he has provided for us formal wear for the dinner?" asked Daisuke as he raised an eyebrow.

"That's exactly right!" exclaimed Kankuro as he crossed his arms out of defiance.

"Kankuro, stop acting like a baby." Gaara said as he gave his brother a stern look.

"Never!" he continued to yell out of defiance.

"So does that really mean that you admit that you're nothing but a big baby?" asked Temari as she lifted one of her blonde eyebrows at the puppeteer.

"I deny everything." said Kankuro bluntly soon after with a straight face.

Everyone got a good laugh out of that one.

"So what exactly happened inside the dictator's office?" asked Ryu after she calmed down from her laughing fit.

"Well, we shook hands with Dictator Kotowashi for a start. Actually, let me revise that. Gaara and I shook hands with the dictator while he kissed and shook Izuka's hand for a greeting." said Daisuke as he reclined in his seat.

"Did you just say that Dictator Seiriyu KISSED Izuka's hand?" asked an incredulous Temari as she stared at the advisor.

"That's exactly right." said Daisuke as he gave the wind mistress a curious look of his own. "Why do you ask Temari?"

"Oh nothing." said Temari as she looked away.

Izuka gave her a weird look. "Temari is something wrong?" she asked.

"Everything's fine it's just that I suggest you watch out for Mr. Dictator. He sounds like a player." said Temari with a knowing look.

"Pfft, like that's ever going to happen." commented Gaara a little sulkily. He looked at everyone else, who were giving him curious stares.

"What?" he asked.

"Are you jealous of Seiriyu Kotowashi?" asked Kankuro with a mischievous smirk.

"I don't get jealous." Gaara said bluntly as he looked his brother in the eye.

"Really?" asked Kankuro again, still with his mischievous smirk plastered across his face like the Cheshire cat's.

"Leave the matter alone Kankuro." Gaara warned as he narrowed his eyes.

"Just admit. You're actually jealous of the guy." said Kankuro as he started to dance around the room.

"Kankuro!" whined Temari as she witnessed her foolish brother dance around the room.

"Gaara is jealous! Gaara is jealous! J-E-A-L-O-U-S!" chanted Kankuro like a cheerleader as he did the Macarena. Ryu was filming the whole thing for YouTube.

"Kankuro stop taunting Gaara! You are so not a good brother!" exclaimed Temari as she tried to control her brother, but to no avail.

Everyone was so distracted by Kankuro dancing that they never noticed Gaara leaving the living room. It took a good ten minutes for Izuka to be the first to notice his disappearance.

"Ryu, where did Gaara go?" Izuka whispered into her dragon's ear.

"Probably to one of the bedrooms to be alone." answered Ryu as she continued to video tape Kankuro with his own video camera.

Izuka only nodded her head in response. She got up from her seat and walked to the first bedroom on the left. She opened the door to peer inside the room, but the room was empty. She checked the second room, but he wasn't there either. She looked into the third room to see Gaara sitting on the bed with his head in his hands.

"Gaara?" asked Izuka as she entered the room.

Gaara lifted his head to see his girlfriend stand beside the door. He shook his head.

"I'm fine Izuka. You don't need to worry about me." said Gaara in a tired tone.

"Your thoughts say otherwise." returned Izuka as she crossed her arms.

"I'm not jealous of Seiriyu, alright." said Gaara as he stood up from the bed.

Izuka lifted a blonde eyebrow. "Then how come you're letting Kankuro's taunts get to you. You usual ignore them, but this time, your stoic façade began to crack."

Gaara looked at Izuka in silence. Jade eyes met ice blue ones as the two continued to stare down each other. As the room fell more and more silent, Gaara let out a loud sigh.

"Is this our first fight?" Gaara asked all of a sudden.

"I don't want it to be." Izuka said sincerely as she closed the gap between her and the red head.

"Me neither." said Gaara as he opened his arms. Izuka stepped into to the embrace and encircled her arms around Gaara's neck.

"Thank you and I'll admit I was tad annoyed about the whole dictator kissing your hand thing." said Gaara as he stroked Izuka's back.

"I could tell by the blank stare you gave Daisuke back in Kotowashi's office." said Izuka as she enjoyed the feel of Gaara's hand on her back.

"Apparently you know me so well." said Gaara as he moved his head back so that he was staring at Izuka's face.

"I've only known you for three years." answered Izuka in return as she smirked at the young Kazekage.

"Touché" Gaara said as a return of his own.

Without their sandals on, Gaara and Izuka were the same height. Gaara leaned his head forward to come in to contact with Izuka's. Soon their lips connected in a sweet kiss, which was soon interrupted by a knock on the door.

"WHAT?" exclaimed the two teens as they broke their kiss to look at the door.

"It's me." said Daisuke." If you guys don't mind me interrupting whatever you are doing in there, I need your assistance in prying your sister off your brother. She currently has him in a death lock."

"Serves him right." muttered Gaara under his breath as he looked at the floor.

"Now don't be like that. We both know he deserves to be punished, but not to be sentenced to Temari's death lock." said Izuka as she placed her hand on Gaara's cheek and brought his face to face hers.

"You're right. We'll continue this later?" he asked her while giving her a knowing look.

"Definitely." said Izuka as she walked out of Gaara's embrace to the door. Gaara followed after her and the two were soon in the living room.

The two witnessed Temari giving Kankuro a head lock, but being Temari, she called it a death lock. It was basically a more painful version of the headlock.

"Temari, let go of me!" Kankuro choked out.

"Never!" yelled Temari in return.

"What happened in here?" asked Izuka as she gave the two siblings a wide eyed look. Gaara looked on in amusement.

"It went from Temari trying to stop Kankuro from dancing to calling her a prissy, airhead of a valley girl." said Ryu as she continued to video tape the scene in front of her.

"Oh boy. We have to get them away from each other and get to dinner. It starts in 45 minutes." whined Daisuke as he scratched his head.

"Izuka if you may?" asked Gaara as he gestured toward his siblings.

Izuka walked over to the two feuding siblings, who were too distracted to notice her presence. She raised her finger and summoned a bolt of electricity to appear on the digit. She walked over to Temari's backside and shocked her right on her rump.

"OWWWW!" yelled Temari as she rubbed her sore booty.

"Yes I'm free and I didn't even get the shock!" yelled Kankuro with glee.

Izuka immediately shocked him soon after his statement.

"OWWW! What was that for?" whined Kankuro as he rubbed his backside.

"That was for taunting your brother." said Izuka as she gave him a cold look.

"Okay then." said Kankuro as he looked away from the annoyed Sage.

"We have to get ready for dinner." said Gaara loud enough for everyone to hear.

"FOOD!" exclaimed Kankuro as he ran straight for one of the bedrooms to get ready.

"And he whines when he has to wear formal wear." said an incredulous Temari as she walked to her room.

"Just remind him that there's food involved and he will forget about everything else." said Daisuke with a knowing smirk as he walked to his room.

Ryu slithered in to Izuka's room.

Izuka and Gaara looked at each other.

"You're siblings are unbelievable." said Izuka as she walked to her room.

"I can't disagree with that statement." said Gaara as he walked back to his room to get ready for the near festivities.

**AT 6:50 P.M.**

Gaara was standing next to the suite's main door waiting for the others. He was dressed in a dark brown men's kimono with beige detailing that looked like slivers of sand blowing in the wind.

"_Well, Seiriyu's assistants know how to pick outfits."_ thought Gaara.

"_And you look great in yours."_ commented a new voice.

"_Izuka?"_ asked Gaara.

"Turn around." she said out loud.

Gaara did what he was told and turned around. His jaw instantly dropped, figuratively. Literally, he stared wide eyed in stunned silence.

"Izuka?" he asked tongue tied.

Izuka stood before him dressed in a lavender colored silk kimono with a light blue sash wrapped around her waist that accentuated showing her hour glass frame. The sash was tied in the back in a big bow. She had her hair down and out of its usual braids, accessorizing it with a jeweled headband. Her amulet and rosary shown in the middle of her chest and complimented her whole outfit.

"What do you think?" she asked him as she blushed bright pink. She then looked at the floor, too nervous to look him in the eyes.

Gaara walked over to the suddenly shy Sage.

"You look absolutely breathtaking." he said as he picked up her chin so that he could look her in the eyes.

This only made her blush harder. He let out a low chuckle.

"Calm down, will you? You don't have to be nervous around me." he said with sincerity laced throughout his voice.

"Not when you hear compliments like yours." returned Izuka as she looked Gaara in the eye.

"Now isn't this is a pretty sight." said Temari as she walked out of her room to join the two younger teens at the door.

Temari was dressed in a royal blue kimono, tied in the back with a silver bow. Little silver fans were etched into the kimono's edges. She wore her hair down and had a silver hair clip fastened on the right side of it.

"What did I miss?" asked Temari as she crossed her arms and gave them a knowing look.

"Nothing." answered Gaara and Izuka as they looked away from Temari, blushes creeping onto their faces.

Daisuke and Ryu soon stepped into the room. Ryu was wearing a jewel encrusted collar while Daisuke wore a red men's kimono with black detailing.

"Nice collar Ryu." said Izuka as she observed her dragon companion.

"Don't I look fly?" asked Ryu as she modeled for the group.

"They show know how to pick outfits." commented Temari as she watched Ryu do her own version of a runway walk. Daisuke and Gaara nodded in agreement.

"Now where's Kankuro? We're going to be late because of him." said Izuka as she looked toward the bedrooms.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" exclaimed Kankuro as he emerged from his room. He was dressed in a dark green men's kimono with black detailing.

"And you called me a tree, Mr. Bush." commented Daisuke as he looked at Kankuro.

Everyone chuckled except Kankuro, who only scowled at the advisor.

"Karma's a bitch, isn't it?" asked Ryu.

"Shut up!" he yelled as he walked out the door. The others followed him.

"Is it weird that I have this strange feeling that tonight is going to be one eventful night?" asked Temari all of a sudden.

"It's not weird Temari. I'm getting that strange feeling as well." said Izuka as she looked at the wind mistress.

"In other words, be on guard. We don't know what to expect." said Gaara as they walked into the elevator. He pressed the button for the 30th floor. The door closed and the platform started to rise into the unknown.

**End of chapter 22**

**A/N: Please review :) **

**Birthday Shout Outs: Tomorrow is Bleach's very own 10****th ****Division Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya's birthday (12/20). Happy birthday Hitsugaya! Plus, this Friday (12/21) is 13****th**** Division Captain Jushiro Ukitake's birthday. Happy Birthday Ukitake! :)**


	23. One Hell of a Dinner!

Chapter 23: One Hell of a Dinner!

The elevator rose up on its way to the 30th floor. The elevator would have been sikent for the entire trip if it weren't for Kankuro's chattering teeth.

"Kankuro, get a hold of yourself. We're only traveling 10 floors to the 30th floor." said Temari as she gave her brother a disapproving look.

"I can't help it. I just don't like elevators." said Kankuro as he closed his eyes.

"Don't you mean the really, really tall ones?" asked Ryu as she gave Kankuro a mischievous smirk.

"You are so not helping Ryu!" exclaimed Kankuro as he stared down the dragon that was resting on Izuka's shoulders.

"I'm just asking a harmless question." said Ryu as she put her palms up in defense.

"You are one scheming dragon aren't you?" asked Daisuke.

"Yes, yes I am." said Ryu proudly.

As the mindless banter was going on around them, Gaara snuck a quick look at Izuka. He soon noticed that Izuka's eyes were moving way to fast to be normal.

"_Izuka?"_ asked Gaara with his mind.

Izuka didn't notice.

"_Izuka?"_ asked Gaara again a little louder.

"Huh?" asked Izuka as she finally broke out of her reverie. She looked to her left at her redhead boyfriend.

"_Is there something wrong?"_ asked Gaara_. "Your eyes were moving way to fast to be normal."_

"_At first, it was just Shukaku annoying the hell out of me again, but then it grew to all the tailed beasts. They all sense that something's amiss, that something evil is lurking around here." _telecommunicated Izuka.

"_Any idea on what it is?"_ asked Gaara.

"_Not yet. There is definitely something dark around here, but neither I nor the tailed beasts can put a finger on it."_ answered Izuka.

"_That's not good."_ commented Gaara as the elevator stopped, signaling that they had reached the 30th floor.

The doors opened to reveal a long dark red hallway. The walls were decorated with pictures of Amegakure's landscape and cities and it was dimly lit.

"Got to hand it to their decorators, they know how to make their guests feel creeped out." commented Kankuro as the group made their way down the long hallway.

"Yes, they just know how to give off that "Addams Family" feel, just darker and creepier." added Daisuke as he looked at the pictures that they were passing by.

The group continued to walk down the hallway until they reached an ornate bronze door at the end of the corridor, which was guarded by a couple of Rain ANBU members. One member was wearing an owl mask while the other was wearing a panda mask.

"Ah, Lady Sage-san, Lord Kazekage-san, Dictator Kotowashi is expecting you and your comrades. You may enter, but he'll be arriving shortly." said the owl ANBU.

"Thank you." replied Gaara in return as he walked through the doorway, followed by Izuka, Ryu, Kankuro, Temari and finally Daisuke.

"This is one snazzy dining room!" exclaimed Ryu as the group walked into said room.

"I'll say." said Temari as she too gawked at their new surroundings.

The dining room was just as ornate as the door. There was a large rectangular table in the middle of the room surrounded by at least 10 intricately carved chairs. There were floor-to-ceiling windows similar to the ones in the dictator's office and even a wine rack. Portraits of different official-looking people lined the walls.

"They seriously know how to decorate don't they?" asked Daisuke as he looked around.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement except Gaara, who was looking at Izuka. Ryu soon noticed this and looked at Izuka, whose eyes were moving at an abnormal pace, again.

"Izuka, what's going on?" asked Ryu in concern.

Everyone turned to see Izuka and her speedy eyes. Temari let out a sharp gasp.

"What's wrong with her eyes?!" exclaimed Kankuro who ran up to Izuka.

Gaara stepped in between them.

"Gaara, do you know what's going on?" asked Temari as she walked up to stand next to Kankuro.

"Yes I do." replied Gaara in return. "The tailed beasts within Izuka are all sensing that something is not right. That something evil is lurking within our midst."

"That's not good to hear. If the tailed beasts are having this kind of reaction, then something really wrong is going on here." said Daisuke as he placed his hand on his chin.

"All the more reason to stay on high alert." said Temari as she looked at Ryu, whose ears perked up. "Ryu?"

"Someone's coming." said Ryu immediately after Temari said her sentence.

"Everyone act normal!" exclaimed a frantic Kankuro as he leaned against a wall trying to act cool.

"Nice Kankuro." said Temari as she walked over to the window with Ryu following after her.

"What about Izuka?" asked Daisuke as he looked to the said Sage in question.

"I'll handle her just try to act like everything is normal." said Gaara as he turned to face Izuka. Daisuke nodded and started to look at the portraits that decorated the walls.

"Izzy, can you hear me?" asked Gaara as he whispered in Izuka's ear to get her attention. She didn't answer.

"Izuka, wake up." said Gaara as he started to shake her to break her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? What happened?" questioned Izuka as she finally broke free from her subconscious reverie.

"The dictator is coming down the hallway right now. We need you stay alert." said Gaara as he placed a gentle hand on his girlfriend's shoulder.

"Sorry, it's just that the tailed beasts are getting more and more suspicious and agitated with each passing minute. They are seriously not liking this one bit." said Izuka as she crossed her arms.

"Right now, the thing we need to focus on is trying to prevent a war from happening between Amegakure and Sunagakure." said Gaara as he looked at the door.

Izuka turned her attention to the door just in time to see Seiriyu Kotowashi, the dictator of Amegakure, walk into the room followed by two elderly men who appeared to be twins. The two elders were dressed in their black council robes while Seiriyu was dressed in a black men's kimono with violet detailing.

"Ah, you're all here." said Seiriyu happily as he shook everyone's hands, even Ryu's. He then turned to the twins.

"Everyone, I would like for you all to meet two of my council members that will be joining us tonight. The man on the left is Kiriyu while the man on his right is his brother Kaizu."

The two old men acknowledged the group and shook Izuka's and Gaara's hands.

"Come and sit. Dinner will be out shortly." said Seiryu as he walked over to the table.

Everyone followed Seiriyu to the table. Before he sat down, Seiryu pulled out Temari's chair for her.

"Why thank you Dictator-san." said Temari as she sat down.

"You're welcome, but call me Seiryu-san. You don't have to be that formal." said Seiryu as he took a seat at the right end of the table.

Gaara pulled out Izuka's chair for her before sitting down at the opposite end of the table, much to Seiryu's chagrin. Everyone else took their respective seats around the table.

"So Kazekage-san, why do you not want Amegakure to wage war with Sunagakure?" asked Seiryu bluntly as everyone settled in their seats.

"Why do you want to wage war with Sunagakure in the first place?" Gaara countered with his own question.

"Touche." Seiriyu closed his eyes before he answered. "It's very simple really. Amegakure was a victim in the Fourth Shinobi World War, not an enemy. A pawn, to be blunt about it. We were used by the likes of Tobi and Madara Uchiha for their own personal gain for a "perfect world."

At the mention of Madara's name, Izuka inwardly flinched, remembering what happened to her during the time of the war when it came to Madara. Temari and Kankuro nervously looked at Izuka, who had already closed her eyes to help deal with the old memory. Gaara, on the other hand, didn't look away from Seiriyu.

"In the end, Madara and Tobi didn't succeed in their plans and the tailed beasts were placed in more responsible hands." said Seiryu as he looked at Izuka. "But, the damage was done. Even though we have recovered from the war faster than most of the other shinobi lands, the war still has left a bitter taste in our mouths, so to speak."

"So you're going to wage war with Suna in spite?" asked Temari as she jumped into the conversation.

"On the contrary, we want to wage war on Suna to show how far Amegakure has come since the war months ago. We are tired of being in the Five Great Nations' shadows. It's time Amegakure broke out of the mold." said Seiryu as he looked up to watch the doors open to reveal some waiters walking in with food platters.

Regardless of the situation, Kankuro's mouth started to water at the sight of the food trays. Ryu and Daisuke gave him disapproving nods.

"So just to be clear, you want to show the world how far Amegakure has grown by destroying one of the Five Great Nations?" asked Daisuke as he turned to the young dictator.

"Exactly, Mr. Advisor." said Seiriyu with a smirk. "But like I said in my letter to the Wind Daimyo, I am open to any reasons why you think Amegakure should not wage war with Sunagakure.

Gaara looked at Seiriyu with cold eyes.

"_This guy is nuts."_ Gaara thought.

Gaara looked at Izuka for a brief second and noticed that her eyes were still closed, like she was closing herself off from the discussion. He then looked at Seiriyu, who was looking at Izuka.

"Lady Sage is there something wrong?" asked Seiriyu in sincere concern.

"I'm fine." answered Izuka as she opened her eyes.

Gaara's eyes widened for a split second at his question.

"_Where the hell did this come from? He says he wants to destroy Suna with a smug smile one second and then asks like he's innocent if my girlfriend was okay the next? He's some sort of psycho, and I should know. I was one." _Gaara started to rant in his mind.

"_Gaara calm down please." _thought Izuka with her mind in answer.

"_Izzy?" _asked Gaara in surprised.

"_I'm fine. With this new found information and the tailed beasts chatting up a storm in my head, it's just a lot to take in."_ thought Izuka as she picked up her spoon for her soup. _"Don't let Seiriyu get to you." _

"_You're right. I'm sorry for my behavior, Izzy." _said Gaara as he picked up his spoon.

"_Apology accepted and stop calling me Izzy."_ said Izuka as she sipped a spoon full of soup.

"Kazekage-san?"

Gaara looked over at Seiriyu, who gave him a questioning look.

"Aren't you going to plead your case about why I shouldn't have my army invade Sunagakure?" asked Seiriyu as he took in a mouthful of his miso soup. The council twins that were sitting on either side of him were silently taking in the discussion.

Gaara took in a deep breath before speaking. "Seiriyu, your case of Amegakure wanting to break the mold and get out of the shadow of the Five Great Nations is noble goal, but going to war to prove a point is foolish."

Kankuro, Temari, Ryu, and Daisuke gave Gaara approving nods. Izuka remained silent. The council twins went wide-eyed, but Seiriyu just gave Gaara a smirk.

"You may think it is foolish, but here me out. The Land of Wind is one of the largest shinobi lands, if we take your country down, then the other four Great Nations will finally have no choice but to finally acknowledge our presence."

"If you take our country down, then the other four Great Nations will see you as a valid enemy and will have no choice but to retaliate and take action against Amegakure." said Gaara as he finished his soup and handed his bowl to a nearby waiter.

"There are ways to try to get people's attention other than violence." said Gaara as a waiter placed a plate of salted tongue and rice dumplings in front of him. How convienent.

"And we have tried every single way we could think of! And what have we got in an answer? Nothing!" exclaimed Seiriyu all of a sudden, which spooked most of the group.

Seiryu looked at Gaara with cold eyes full of rage, daring him to speak. Gaara easily accepted the challenge.

"You are giving up too easily, Seiryu." said Gaara tiredly. "A leader shouldn't give up when it comes to the welfare of his village."

"And now you're lecturing me on what a leader should and should not do?" said Seiriyu with a sarcastic grin that was bordering on sadistic.

"It seems you do not have a valid reason to why Amegakure should not wage war with Suna. But, since I'm a kind man, I'll give you only one way to get out of the planned war." said Seiryu as he wove his fingers together.

"Really?" asked an incredulous Kankuro as he wolfed down his steak. Everyone else was so engrossed in the discussion between Seiriyu and Gaara that they never noticed Kankuro's horrendous table manners.

"Really." answered Seiriyu as he gave the puppeteer a wide grin. "All your little brother has to do is beat me in a duel."

Utensils dropped back onto the plates as the teens, dragon, and advisor gave Seiriyu and his council members stunned looks. Kankuro almost choked on his steak. It was Daisuke and Temari that spoke next.

"WHAT?!" they yelled in unison, not caring how loud they were.

"It's like Lord Seiriyu said. All that the Kazekage has to do is beat our dictator in a fight, that's all. If Lord Gaara here can beat Seiriyu, then we will have no choice but to cancel the war." said Kiriyu.

"And if Seiriyu wins?" asked Kankuro as he rubs his throat after spitting out the piece of steak that he almost choked on.

"Then the war will continue as planned, plus Seiriyu will take one thing of your brother's." said Kaizu.

"One thing of Gaara's?" asked Ryu.

"Yes" answered Seiriyu. "You have probably already heard that I have defeated every opponent that tried to oppose me, but you haven't heard about my little hobby that's connected to it."

"Little hobby?" asked Izuka.

"Indeed Lady Sage." said Seiriyu as he grinned at her, much to Gaara's chagrin.

"You see, I have collected one item from every opponent that I have ever faced and defeated and I plan to continue my tradition."

"Really?" asked Temari as she took a sip of Kenchin soup out of slight nervousness.

"Indeed, Lady Temari. I plan to continue my tradition and I'm going to continue it with you Lady Sage." said Seiriyu as he gave the Sage a knowing smirk.

The room instantly fell silent. Ryu's jaw dropped, Daisuke put his head in his hands, Kankuro and Temari eyes widened, Izuka stared at Seiriyu in utter disbelief, and Gaara? Well Gaara eyes were looking murderously at Seiriyu before he composed himself enough to go back to his neutral expression.

"It's that simple Kazekage san. If you fight me, you can either beat me and save your village or lose and lose your girlfriend and let your village be destroyed. Or don't fight me and we'll invade anyways." said Seiriyu as he let his sadistic grin finally show on his pale face.

"Give us a minute." said Gaara coldly as he got up from his seat and walked to the bronze door. Daisuke, Ryu, Temari, Kankuro, and Izuka all followed after him

"Why of course." answered Seiriyu as he called after them.

"Do you think Gaara will say yes?" asked Kiriyu as the group walked out the door.

"Of course he will. He has no choice." said Seiriyu as he took a sip of his water.

The others walked back into the hallway, which was no longer guarded by the two ANBU members.

"Let me be the first to say this: SEIRIYU KOTOWASHI IS ONE FULL BLOWN PSYCHO!" exclaimed Kankuro as he flailed his arms for emphasis.

"You got that right!" exclaimed Ryu. "No way am I going to let him take Izzy away from Gaara. That's just plain wrong."

"And after so many months of Gaara procrastinating on telling Izuka about his feelings for her." said Kankuro as he scratched his head.

Daisuke, Temari, and Ryu gave him blank looks. Izuka and Gaara blushed a tad.

"Too much?" asked Kankuro.

"Don't ask." returned Temari bluntly. She then turned to Gaara.

"What are you going to do? It is your call." said Temari tiredly as she gave her little brother a slight critical look.

"If I do fight Seiriyu, the village would be destroyed by a war we don't want and Izuka will be taken against her will by him if I lose." said Gaara in the same tired tone as Temari.

"Where does he get off with that hobby of his?" asked Daisuke. "I get the idea of taking an item from a fallen foe, but taking a living person from another is going too far in my opinion."

"Is that even legal?" asked Ryu.

"In most countries, it isn't. But in Amegakure, it is." said Temari bluntly since she had read about Amegakure's customs and laws months ago.

"And if you don't fight him, he's just going to invade Sunagakure anyway." Kankuro added. "At least with that choice, you don't lose Izzy."

Gaara started to contemplate what everyone was saying, but then he realized that not everybody spoke their two cents on the matter. He turned to Izzy, who looked sickly pale and breathing heavily.

"Izzy?!" exclaimed Gaara as he went up to her in sudden surprise. Everyone turned their heads to see what was going on.

"Oh no! Izuka!" cried Temari as she ran up to her brother and her best friend.

"Do you think it is the tailed beasts?" asked Daisuke in worry.

"Most definitely since Shukaku is one of them." said Kankuro in slight agitation.

"Izuka are you all right?" asked Ryu in panicked alarm.

"I'll be fine. I'm just feeling really lightheaded right now." said Izuka in a really tired tone as she placed a hand on her forehead.

"We need to get you back to the suite to rest, Izzy." said Gaara as he placed a comforting hand on Izuka's shoulder.

"Not without giving me your answer first, Kazekage san."

The group turned their heads to see Seiriyu, Kiriyu, Kaizu in front of the ornate, bronze door. Seiriyu had a full blown smirk on his face.

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME?!" yelled Kankuro. "Can't you wait a day for his answer?"

"Calm down Kankuro-kun. I am easily a very agitated and impatient man." Seiriyu snapped his fingers as he said the impatient part. All of a sudden, the lights went out. When they came back on, the group was surrounded by Amegakure ANBU.

"Oh great. Now we're surrounded!" exclaimed Ryu.

Temari stepped out of the group to try to reason with Seiriyu.

"Lord Seiriyu, we have not come here to fight. We have only come here to reason with you."

"And look where that has brought us." said a sarcastic Seiriyu as he crossed his arms. He looked at Gaara, who was now walking up to where Temari was standing.

"You can say that Izuka-san needs her rest as much as you like, but I'm not letting you walk out of here without an answer. I'll ask you one final time, are you going to fight me or not?"

Gaara closed his eyes, but soon opened them to look at his fellow comrades, before finally setting his sights on Izuka.

Izuka still looked ghostly pale, but she composed herself long enough to give Gaara one strong nod of her head. He nodded back and looked at Seiriyu.

"Fine, I'll accept your challenge. I'll fight you Seiriyu." said Gaara in his coldest tone.

"Excellent!" exclaimed Seiriyu in a cheery tone. He then snapped his fingers again, this time as a signal for his ANBU members to leave.

"Our fight will start at dusk tomorrow. My secretary will show you where our battlefield will be. All are welcomed to watch. See you tomorrow Gaara-san." said Seiriyu as he walked past the group with his two council members at his side.

After walking ten feet away from them, Seiriyu turned back around to face the group.

"Oh and Gaara, I will not settle for a weak effort on your part."

Gaara turned to face Seiriyu. He spoke in his coldest tone of voice. "I will fight you with everything I've got and I will win."

Seiriyu gave him another sadistic smile. "Can't wait." he said sarcastically. He then let out a sadistic laugh before walking off to the elevator, his two council members following his lead.

"I so want to punch that psycho's lights out!" muttered Kankuro.

"You and me both brother." said Temari as she crossed her arms.

Daisuke was about to add his input when the group suddenly heard a loud and sickening thud. They all turned around to see Izuka passed out on the floor looking as sickly as ever.

"IZUKA!" exclaimed Temari as she ran over to Izuka's frail looking body. Gaara beat her to Izuka and crouched down to his girlfriend's side.

"Izuka? Izuka? Please wake up." said Gaara worriedly as he picked Izuka up in his arms. Izuka's eyes remained closed and only gave Gaara a moan in response.

"At least she's responsive." offered Kankuro.

"No time for jokes Kankuro. We need to get Izuka back to the suite and fast!" said Daisuke as he speedily made his way down to the elevator.

Gaara carried Izuka bridal style as he followed Ryu, Daisuke, Temari, and Kankuro to the elevator. The only thing running through his mind was worry for his girlfriend's health.

End of chapter 23

**A/N: What will happen next? You'll soon find out. Please review and vote on my poll. It's about the Sand Siblings and them being supernatural creatures.**


	24. The Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 24: The Calm Before the Storm

"Ugh my head. Where am I?" asked Izuka as she opened her eyes, only to be met with bright sunlight.

"Wow that's bright!" exclaimed Izuka as she got up from her position on the sandy ground. "_Wait a minute. Sandy ground?" _thought Izuka to herself in realization.

Izuka looked around to see that she was back in Sunagakure, except it was missing one crucial aspect.

"Where are all the people?" asked Izuka to no one in particular.

"This is a secure location. You of all people should know that." said a cool voice.

Izuka turned around to be face-to-face with herself, except the other her was paler, was wearing a black and white version of Izuka's ninja clothes, had silver white hair and red eyes with slits, but the most noticible difference was the 10 purple and slim reptillian tails protruding from her back.

"We're in my inner world, aren't we Ryuna?" asked Izuka as she looked at the other her.

"Indeed." answered Ryuna.

"Will I ever see what you truly look like?" asked Izuka as she crossed her arms.

"Maybe some other time." answered Ryuna with a smile.

"Of course. So . . . what happened? Why did you bring me here?" asked Izuka.

"What do you remember last before fainting?" asked Ryuna.

"Gaara agreeing to fight Seiriyu tomorrow at dusk." answered Izuka as she gave her tailed beast a curious look.

"I see. I brought you here so that you can warn Gaara." answered Ryuna as she started walking.

"Warn him?" questioned Izuka.

"That's right. My brother and sisters and I couldn't figure out what the dark presence that we felt was until that dinner."

"And you believe that dark presence is Seiriyu Kotowashi?" asked Izuka as she walked beside her.

"We all do. There's something about him that is not right."

"Of course something's not right with him. He's a sadistic psychopath that wants to take me against my will if Gaara loses."

"That's something we can't allow." said Ryuna as she crossed her arms.

"What should Gaara do then?" asked Izuka out of concern for her boyfriend.

"He must be patient and always must watch his back at all times during his battle. He cannot let Seiriyu get to him. If he lets Seiriyu get the upper hand at least once during their battle, then it will be over for him and for Suna."

"I see." answered Izuka as she stopped walking.

Ryuna stopped as well and looked at Izuka's unsure face.

"Don't you worry my dear jinchuriki. If Gaara was able to stop my brother Shukaku from taking over his mind, then he can surely beat Seiriyu."

"Thank you Ryuna." said Izuka as she gave the other her a sincere look.

"Now you should get back to the others. I can sense their worry, especially a certain redhead's." said Ryuna in a slightly teasing tone.

"Don't tease Ryuna." said Izuka as she gave the dragon a grin. She closed her eyes and when she opened them again, she was in her bedroom in the group's shared suite.

"What happ-"said Izuka, but cut herself off as she hissed at the pain of her severe headache.

"Ow that hurts!" cried Izuka as she placed her palm on her forehead.

"You're awake!" said a high pitched voice. Izuka turned her head to her bedroom door to see Ryu hovering in the doorway.

"Izuka's awake?" asked Temari from the living room.

"Yeah she just woke up!" yelled Ryu in return as she flew over to Izuka's bedside.

Temari, Gaara, Kankuro, and Daisuke soon entered the room with frantic expressions on their faces, which soon turned to relief as they saw that Izuka was awake.

"Oh good you're awake!" exclaimed Temari with relief as she sat down next to Izuka. Gaara sat on the other side of Izuka while Kankuro and Daisuke remained standing.

"What happened to you?" asked Daisuke.

"The tailed beasts were acting out because of the dark entity around here. Seiriyu, to be exact." said Izuka as Ryu handed her an icepack from the kitchen freezer.

"Knew it!" exclaimed Kankuro. "That guy is a total psycho that needs to be thrown in the loony bin!"

"No loud noises please?" asked Izuka.

"Sorry!" whispered Kankuro as he clamped his hand over his mouth, much to Temari's and Ryu's chagrin.

"Anything else happened while you were out?" asked Gaara as he watched Izuka in concern.

"I talked with Ryu." answered Izuka as an impassive look appeared on her face.

"The 10 tails herself? What did she say?" asked Kankuro.

"She basically wants me to warn Gaara about Seiriyu."

"Really?" asked Gaara curiously.

"Indeed." answered Izuka as she turned to Gaara to face him eye to eye. "She says that you have to be patient at all times and to not let Seiriyu get to you. He'll easily exploit your weaknesses and if you let him gain the upper hand in your battle, even if it's only once, he will defeat you."

"Way to be encouraging Izzy." said a sarcastic Kankuro.

Everyone gave him cold or blank stares.

"Okay okay, no sarcasm. Got it loud and clear. I know when I'm not needed." said Kankuro as he walked out the room.

"The 10 tails has given you some sound advice Kazekage-san." said Daisuke as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Advice you really need to take into consideration." added Temari.

"I know." said Gaara in a tired tone. He then looked at Izuka, who was looking out the window.

"Daisuke, Temari, Ryu, can you give me and Izuka a minute alone?" asked Gaara as he looked at the three.

"Sure thing." said Daisuke as he walked out the room, followed by Temari.

"Don't you two try anything, you hear me?" asked Ryu.

"Don't worry, Ryu. We hear you." answered Izuka as she looked away from the window to face the dragon.

Ryu smiled at the two before flying out the door. Izuka rested her head on Gaara's shoulder.

"Are you really okay?" asked Gaara who wasn't afraid to let his worry show in his voice now that everyone else left the room.

"I'll be fine once the headache passes. I really scared you guys didn't I?" asked Izuka as she looked up at Gaara's face.

"Scared us? Freaked us out is more like it." answered Gaara in his usual monotone as he placed his arm around Izuka.

"Really?" asked Izuka.

"Yes; we were all worried, especially Temari. For a while, I thought she was literally going to pull her pigtails out of her head." answered Gaara.

Izuka let out a small laugh, which made Gaara smirk.

"What about you?" asked Izuka all of a sudden.

Gaara's smirk disappeared and was replaced with a frown.

"I was very worried about you. I was scared to be honest." answered Gaara in his most serious tone.

"Really? The Kazekage? Scared?" asked Izuka in a plain tone.

"It's nothing to kid around, Izzy." reprimanded Gaara.

"I wasn't joking." answered Izuka in her most serious tone.

"Fair enough." answered Gaara as the two fell into a comfortable silence.

"Are you nervous?" asked Izuka after ten minutes of silence passed.

"About what?" asked Gaara.

"Your duel with Seiriyu tomorrow." answered Izuka as she looked at Gaara straight in the eye.

Gaara sighed before he answered. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't."

"You want to talk about it?" asked Izuka.

"Sure." said Gaara. Izuka waited for five minutes, but Gaara didn't speak a word.

"Gaara, aren't you going to say anything?" asked Izuka.

"It would help if you rested your head back on my shoulder." said Gaara.

"No it wouldn't, but if you think it will help you actually speak about how you feel, then why should I complain." said Izuka as she rested her head back on Gaara's shoulder.

"Thank you." said Gaara as he rested his head on Izuka's.

"Now speak or else I'll move my head again." said Izuka in slight annoyance.

"Okay, okay. To tell you the truth, I'm very nervous about my battle with Seiriyu tomorrow." answered Gaara.

"Why?" asked Izuka in concern.

"The pressure. If I fail, not only do I let this war happen, I'll lose you." said Gaara with worry becoming more evident in his voice.

"You won't lose and you won't lose me. If Seiriyu even tries to lay a hand on me, I am so going to make him wish he wasn't born. Besides, you are absolutely excellent under pressure." said Izuka in a blunt, but supportive tone.

Gaara smirked. "That's good to know and thank you for being so supportive. This battle is going to be one of the most important battles that I'm ever going to fight. I can't let you, Daisuke, Ryu, Temari, Kankuro, and the village down."

"And you won't or else Temari will beat your ass." said Izuka in a serious manner.

Gaara chuckled at the seriousness of Izuka's tone. "That's a definite possibility."

"I probably won't be able to save you from her wrath if that happens." continued Izuka.

"Probably not." added Gaara.

The two once again fell into a comfortable silence. Once Izuka felt that Gaara was in a false sense of security, she quickly lifted her head to plant a quick, gentle kiss on Gaara's lips.

"What was that for?" asked Gaara in sudden surprise as he looked at Izuka wide eyed after she broke their kiss.

"No reason." answered Izuka as she started to get up from her bed.

Gaara wouldn't have it. He grabbed her by the wrist and brought her back down to the bed.

"Tell me." he said with just a hint of curiosity.

"I had no reason." answered Izuka as she gave Gaara a knowing look.

"Izuka, you never do anything without a reason for it. Now tell me why'd you kiss me." asked Gaara a little more forcefully.

"I'll never tell you. That's for me to know and you to find out." said Izuka with a slight smirk. She tried to get up from her seat once more, but Gaara held her in place.

"Gaara, please let go of my wrist." asked Izuka in a serious tone

"Not until you tell me your reason for kissing me." said Gaara.

"Can't a girlfriend give her boyfriend a kiss without being questioned or suspected of something good or bad?" asked Izuka in an incredulous tone.

"I'm just being curious." said Gaara in a sincere voice.

Izuka only looked away at the window.

"Can you just tell me?" asked Gaara in his innocent voice.

"What are the magic words?" asked Izuka in an equal innocent voice.

"Please and cookies?" replied Gaara.

"Indeed they are." said Izuka with a scowl as she looked away. "You want to know why I kissed you?"

"I'm just curious that's all." replied Gaara

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea myself. I was just compelled to do it for some reason." said Izuka in a sincere tone. "You must be thinking that I'm just covering up my real reason with a pathetic excuse for one."

Gaara didn't answer, which made Izuka worry.

"Gaara, aren't you going to say anything?' asked Izuka as she turned around just in time to be embraced by Gaara in a tight hug.

"What's the meaning of this?" asked Izuka in a stunned voice.

"This is my way of comforting you." answered Gaara as he talked into Izuka's neck.

"Comforting me?" asked Izuka in a stunned whisper.

""Indeed; let me ask you this. Do you know the feeling of being afraid?" asked Gaara as he picked his head back up to look at Izuka straight in the eyes.

"Being…afraid?" asked Izuka, the words sounding foreign on her tongue.

"Yes, being afraid. Feeling scared of something, someone, or someone's wellbeing." said Gaara as he raised an eyebrow.

"Not really." answered Izuka with a frown. "As a little girl being trained in the ANBU, I was never taught to feel fear. My accursed sensei always taught me that fear was a weak emotion and should never be shown, especially in battle. I guess some of his teachings have still stuck with me since then."

Gaara nodded his head in understanding. Izuka told Gaara all about her old sensei, Jushiro Fukudome. He was Izuka's teacher during her pre Genin and Genin days. When Izuka left Konoha for Suna as part of the Exchange Program between the two villages, no one told Jushiro about the transfer. His reaction to the news; killing Izuka's two teammates before leaving Konoha. He's now an S-rank criminal and is still at large to this day.

Izuka's mood always went a turn for the worst whenever she remembered hearing the news of her two teammates' deaths. She was never close to them at first, but thanks to a little brotherly persuasion courtesy of Naruto, she changed her ways for the better, starting with getting close to her old teammates.

"Being afraid can actually be helpful in battle. It helps you to think about your limitations and how to use your power more wisely when you work with what you have."

"So what I'm feeling is fear?" asked Izuka in confusion. Gaara nodded his head yes.

"It's not an emotion I really like Gaara." said Izuka as she looked down at the ground.

Gaara let out a soft chuckle. "No one likes being afraid, but fear is one of the main emotions that can keep you alive for years to come. A little fear can go a long way."

Gaara soon noticed the sadness that crept into Izuka's eyes.

"Hey, don't fret. Jushiro Fukudome won't get away with what he did with your teammates. He will get caught eventually." reassured Gaara as he rubbed Izuka's back soothingly.

"I know. Thinking about Jushiro and Seiriyu and all this crap is seriously bringing back my headache. I just want to forget about everything for a while." said Izuka tiringly as she fell back onto the bed.

"I think I know a way." said Gaara knowingly as he scratched his head as a small pink blush started to appear on his cheeks.

"Really? What is it?" asked Izuka in curiosity as she got back into a sitting position.

"Close your eyes and you'll find out." answered Gaara as he miraculously got his blush to die down.

Izuka did as she was told and closed her eyes. Gaara took a deep breath before he leaned his head closer to Izuka's. The two's lips connected in a sweet kiss. They broke apart soon after.

"Is that it?' asked Izuka with a smirk as she opened her eyes.

"Not really. I'm not done yet." said Gaara as he matched Izuka's smirk with his own.

Gaara soon brought his hand up and placed it on the back of Izuka's neck. He brought their heads together for another kiss, this one more loving and passionate than the first. Izuka brought her arms around Gaara's neck while Gaara kept one hand woven into Izuka's thick blonde hair while his other arm encircled her waist. Gaara lightly bit Izuka's lower lip in a bid to gain entry into her mouth, which she gladly let him do. Their tongues met and soon fought each other for dominance, with Gaara coming out the winner. He expertly explored every corner of Izuka's mouth, sending shivers down her spine. Izuka could barely keep herself together as she tried to stifle a moan.

"I see someone's getting hot and heavy before the big fight!" called an annoying and all too familiar voice.

Izuka and Gaara instantly broke their kiss and looked towards the doorway to see Kankuro standing in the doorway with a big, mischievous grin on his face.

"KANKURO, LEAVE THOSE TWO ALONE!" yelled Temari and Ryu in unison from the living room. Daisuke only sighed in defeat.

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, I'LL LEAVE THEM ALONE!" yelled Kankuro as he walked away from the doorway. He returned a few minutes later.

"Way to go bro! I'm so proud of you!" whispered Kankuro as he wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. He gave his brother a wink and a thumbs up before returning to the living room.

Izuka only gave a disapproving nod of her head before turning to Gaara, who was blushing beet red. "Don't worry about him. I'll shock him later."

"Thanks." answered Gaara as he got up from the bed and started to walk to the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Izuka.

"I'm going to get some sleep. I'll need all the rest I can get for my duel tomorrow." said Gaara without looking at her as he stopped before the doorway.

"Can I give you something before you leave?" asked Izuka as she walked up to him.

"Sure, what is I-" asked Gaara as he turned in time to receive a good night kiss from the blonde Sage.

"Sweet dreams." whispered Izuka as she gave Gaara a nervous smile.

"Th-thanks." stuttered Gaara as he blushed.

"It's amazing how easy you blush at simple things." said Izuka with a smirk as she crossed her arms.

"Oh be quiet!" answered Gaara as he walked out of Izuka's room to his own just down the hall.

Izuka let out a chuckle before closing her own door for the night.

* * *

**Somewhere else within the dictator's tower**

Within a small room/dojo on the 75th floor of the tower, a seething Seiriyu was monitoring the suite that the Sand Siblings', Lady Sage, advisor, and dragon were staying in. Thanks to the hidden cameras within the room, Seiriyu saw everything, except anything that happened in the bathroom, including Gaara and Izuka playing tonsil hockey.

"My lord?" questioned one of his many council members within the room with him. "Are you all right?"

"I will be once that infernal Kazekage is gone from this Earth thanks to me!" yelled the enraged dictator as he smacked a nearby cup of tea down to the floor.

"Don't worry sir." said a second advisor. "With your power, you will easily beat the Kazekage and destroy his village. Once Sunagakure falls, the Wind Country will as well."

"I don't want to just beat the Kazekage." said an enraged Seiriyu. "I want to absolutely kill that damn redhead!"

"That's something you could surely accomplish." said a third advisor timidly.

"Did you just say could?" asked Seiriyu in a surprised tone.

"Well, they say that Gaara is one of the most powerful Kages to come out of Suna. Even more powerful than the Third and his father the Fourth some say. I just think beating the Kazekage is should be your main priority in order for the plan to be completed successfully." answered the advisor as he tried to make himself smaller against the dark red wall he was standing in front of.

"Maizu, come here." said Seiriyu as he beckoned the advisor forward with one finger.

The advisor didn't respond at first.

"COME HERE DAMMIT!" yelled Seiriyu in annoyance as a vein started to appear on his pale forehead.

Maizu jumped at the sudden yell and instantly scurried over to Seiriyu's chair.

"Do you think I can beat Gaara?" asked Seiriyu in his calmest tone.

"Sir?" asked Maizu in a puzzled voice.

"Do you think I can beat the Kazekage of Suna? Yes or no. Give me you honest answer." replied Seiriyu in a more friendly tone.

Maizu took a deep breath before answering. "Honestly, no."

The room was filled with the sickening sound of metal and bone cracking as the other advisors in the room looked on in horror as Maizu was decapitated right in front of their eyes. Maizu's head rolled all the way to the farthest wall in the room while his body slumped down to the floor, blood dripping from the fatal wound.

"Anyone else want to voice their honest opinions?" asked Seiriyu in his calmest tone once again.

Everyone shook their heads no.

"Good. If you all excuse me, I'll be going to my room to rest for the night. Tomorrow is where the real fun begins." said Seiriyu with his signature sadistic smile as he left the room to head for the elevator, leaving a group of council members scared for their lives for the first time in years.

End of chapter 24

**A/N: Please read, review, and vote on my poll. Thank you. I'd love the constructive criticism you'd send my way.**


	25. A Nightmare Before a Nightmare

Chapter 25: A Nightmare Before A Nightmare

Gaara woke up to find himself alone in an empty Roman style arena. As he looked at the roof, he observed that it was raining.

"Where am I?" asked Gaara to no one in particular.

"We're at the place of your soon coming death." cackled a sadistic voice.

Gaara turned around to see Seiriyu enter the arena through one of its many doors, the sadistic smile of his ever present on his face.

"Is this the battlefield for our duel?" asked Gaara as he observed the ruthless dictator as he walked around Gaara like a tiger would stalk its prey.

"Indeed it is Gaara-san and to make sure you have extra motivation for this fight, take a look behind you." commanded Seiriyu as he pointed at Gaara.

"What did you do?" asked Gaara in a cold tone.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" answered Seiriyu with his own question.

Gaara didn't answer, but instead turned around. An instant face of horror appeared across Gaara's face as he saw Daisuke, Kankuro, Temari, and Ryu all chained up against the eastern wall of the arena, blood flowing from numerous cuts and wounds around their bodies.

"What the hell did you do to them!?" exclaimed Gaara as he turned his enraged glare at the evil dictator.

"Don't worry. They are still alive, for now. I have only wounded them to a point that they can't interfere with our match." answered Seiriyu as he gave Gaara a nonchalant shrug.

Gaara turned his attention back to his companions, now realizing that one person was not among them.

"Finally realized that the Sage isn't with them huh?" asked Seiriyu with a smirk.

Gaara turned his attention back on the cruel dictator, a murderous glare sent right his way.

"If you have laid one finger on her-" Gaara started to say, but Seiriyu cut him off.

"Don't worry. I want to take the Sage from you in one piece. She hasn't been harmed." answered Seiriyu as he looked at the roof.

Gaara followed his gaze and a look of surprise and horror appeared across his face. He looked to see an unconscious Izuka being hung from her wrists from the center of the roof. True to his word, Izuka appeared unharmed.

Gaara looked back at Seiriyu to see that he wasn't where he was.

"Where is that bastard?" asked Gaara to himself.

"Behind you."

Gaara turned around in time to receive a swift slash from Seiriyu. Gaara crumpled to the ground holding his chest, where a large red mark appeared, blood gushing out of the grievous wound and mixing with his sand armor. Gaara looked up and observed Seiriyu's weapon.

"What kind of blade is that?" Gaara panted as he winced at the pain his wound caused him every time he breathed.

"Oh this?" asked Seiriyu as he lifted his pure black blade up in front of his face. "This kind of blade is the one that makes sure that no one survives it once they see it."

Seiryu lifted the blade above his head and swung it down for the final strike. Gaara closed his eyes waiting for his end to come.

"Ahhh!" exclaimed Gaara as he sat up abruptly on his bed and placed his hand on his forehead. He placed his hand on his chest to feel that the wound Seiriyu dealt him wasn't ther.

"It was just a nightmare." sighed Gaara as he looked around the room. He tensed as he heard a light knocking sound eminate from his room door.

"Gaara, it's me." says the voice from behind the door.

Recognizing the voice, Gaara relaxed, slightly. "Come on in Izzy."

Izuka opened the door and walked into the room, dressed in her ninja clothes. Gaara gave her a look of surprise.

"You usually don't get dressed this early." said Gaara as he gave his girlfriend a curious look.

"Gaara, it's five in the afternoon." answered Izuka flatly as she sat next to him on the bed.

"It is?" asked Gaara in surprise.

"See for yourself." said Izuka as she pointed to the digital clock on the nearby dresser. Gaara turned to see the clock show 3:05 p.m. on its small screen.

"Wow, I definitely slept in this time." commented Gaara as he looked back at Izuka.

"Temari thought it would be better to let you sleep in. You know, so you can be well rested for tonight's duel." said Izuka as she gave Gaara a curious look.

"Do I have something on my face?" asked Gaara as he observed Izuka, who was curiously staring at his face.

"Did you just wake up from a nightmare?" asked Izuka bluntly as she stared at Gaara right in the eye.

Gaara widened his eyes at the question. "How'd you guess?"

"One, you're sweating and you usually don't sweat when you wake up. And two, you've had this defeated and frightened look on your face ever since I came into the room. What's wrong Gaara?" asked Izuka as she gave Gaara a concerned look

Gaara let out a sigh, knowing that if he didn't answer her, she'll use her telepathic powers to look through his mind to see what's wrong.

"You're right. I did have a nightmare." answered Gaara in a defeated tone.

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Izuka.

"Do you really want to hear it?" asked Gaara in return.

Izuka nodded yes for her answer. Gaara nodded his head in return and opened his arms. Taking that as a symbol to come closer to him, Izuka moved closer to Gaara until he wrapped his arms around her body in a close embrace.

"I was in an arena. Seiriyu walked into the arena and told me to turn around to see my extra motivation for the duel. When I turned around, I instantly regretted it."

"Why?" asked Izuka as she rested her hooded head on Gaara's shoulder.

"I saw Temari, Kankuro, Daisuke, and Ryu chained to the arena wall. They were covered in these painful cuts and bruises and their blood was just pouring out of them." answered Gaara as he closed his eyes.

Izuka's body stiffened as she listened to the details of Gaara's horrible dream.

"Do you want me to continue?" asked Gaara all of a sudden.

"I want to hear all of it." said Izuka in a slightly shaky, but determined voice. "What about me? Where was I when this happened?"

"You were hanging from the center of the roof from your wrists. You were unconscious, but you appeared unhurt as well."

"Why me?" asked Izuka.

"Seiriyu wanted to take you away from me in one piece. That's why he didn't hurt you." answered Gaara flatly.

"I see. What else?" asked Izuka as she looked at Gaara's face, where an agitated look appeared across his features.

"When I turned my attention back on Seiriyu, he was gone. He appeared right behind me and before I could react, he had cut me right across my chest with a black blade. I fell to the ground and waited for his final strike. The next thing I knew, I was here in my room."

"That's it?" asked Izuka.

"That's it." answered Gaara. He let go of Izuka, got off of his bed, grabbed his clothes, and walked into the bathroom. He emerged 20 minutes later dressed in his usual ninja outfit, long red coat and all.

"Are you going to tell the others about it?" asked Izuka as she got up from the bed and walked over to the young redhead.

"No; it's best not to worry them." answered Gaara as he looked out the window.

Izuka placed a firm hand on Gaara's shoulder. "It was just a nightmare Gaara. You shouldn't let it get to you."

"I know that, but it felt so real." answered Gaara solemnly as he continued to look out the window at the city that was trapped in a never ending rainstorm.

"It felt real because you made it feel real. Don't think about the possibilities of the outcome in the future. Focus on the here and now and always keep a clear and steady head." advised Izuka as she hugged Gaara from behind.

"Thank you for the advice, Izzy." said Gaara as he placed his hand on one of Izuka's own as it rested on Gaara's shoulder.

"You're welcome and can you please for the hundredth time stop calling me Izzy?" asked Izuka in an incredulous tone.

"Sorry; I seriously need to remember that you seriously dislike it when people call you Izzy." said Gaara apologetically.

"No worries, just try not to do it again." said Izuka as she released Gaara from her embrace.

Izuka was about to walk out of the room when she suddenly felt her hand being tugged. She turned back to Gaara, who was firmly gripping her hand.

"Wait a second Izuka." said Gaara as he let a suspicious look appear on his face.

"What is it Gaara?" asked Izuka as she eyed him curiously.

"Do you get the feeling we're being watched?" asked Gaara as he looked around the room.

"Now that you mention it, I had this nagging feeling that someone was watching us." said Izuka as she placed her hand on her chin. Her attention suddenly went to one of the ceiling corners of the room where one of the room lights were.

"Found something?" asked Gaara as he observed the room light Izuka was looking at.

"I think I did." answered Izuka as she walked over to the corner.

Izuka used her telepathy to levitate herself up to the room light. After giving it a closer look, she reached behind the light and felt around behind it until she felt a strange metallic object. She took it out from behind the light to reveal that it was a small spy camera.

"Those bastards been watching us this whole time!" exclaimed Izuka as she floated over to the other light fixtures, finding small spy cameras behind them as well.

"Apparently, they have never heard of the word privacy." said Gaara as he walked over to Izuka who finally landed back onto the floor.

"They must have these planted all over the suite." said Izuka as she dropped the cameras on to Gaara's bed.

"They've achieved a new low." said Gaara bluntly as he picked up one of the spy cameras and studied it.

Izuka nodded her head in agreement when she suddenly blushed bright pink.

"Uhm Gaara?" asked Izuka to get his attention.

"What is it Izuka? And why have you suddenly blushed bright pink?" asked Gaara as he raised an invisible eyebrow.

"Gaara, if they have been watching us since we first came to this suite, then they saw us make out last night." said Izuka as she blushed a deeper shade of pink.

Gaara widened his eyes in realization.

"And I thought Kankuro was bad enough." said Gaara as he too blushed a shade of pink.

"Someone mentioned my name?" asked Kankuro as he suddenly popped his head through the door. He was followed by Ryu and Temari. Their attention instantly went to the spy cameras.

"Don't tell me that psycho Seiriyu and his cronies have been spying on us since we've been staying in this suite!" said an incredulous Ryu.

Everyone nodded their heads yes.

"I so wanna kill that psycho!" said Ryu bluntly as she flew out the room.

"We all do!" called Kankuro after the dragon.

"Now what?" asked Temari as she looked at the others.

"I suggest we find all the other cameras in this suite and destroy them." suggested Izuka as here blushed died down.

"That's going to have to wait." said a new voice.

The group turned towards the doorway, which Daisuke was standing in the middle of. He had a glum look across his face.

"The secretary is at the door. It's time for your duel Gaara-san." said Daisuke solemnly as he observed the group.

Everyone turned toward Gaara, who only gave them a blank look.

"Let the games begin." was all he said as he grabbed his gourd and walked out the door.

**A/N: Please review and vote on my poll. I can't believe I reached 25 chapters! XD**


	26. Black Lightning

Chapter 26: Black Lightning

The never ending rainstorm of Amegakure seem to rain even harder that afternoon as the group, guided by Seiriyu's secretary Mioka, walked through the main square of the capital city on their way to their final destination; the destination where Gaara's duel with Seiriyu was going to take place.

"So where is the duel supposed to take place?" asked Kankuro, breaking the silence that was encasing the group ever since they left the Dictator's Tower.

"The duel is going to take place in a small indoor stadium just a few blocks away from where we are now. Dictator Seiriyu usually has his duels in the outdoor stadium in the western part of the city, but putting your brother's abilities into consideration, he figured that the indoor stadium would be the better choice." answered Mioka as she looked at the puppeteer through her hood.

The cloaks that everyone were wearing wasn't really helping them, especially Gaara, who sealed his gourd in one of Izuka's spare scrolls before leaving the tower.

"Wow! Isn't he considerate?" said Ryu, not even attempting to hide the sarcasim.

"I know you all don't like the position that you've been put into, but our dictator means well." said Mioka as she turned her attention back onto the empty street in front of them.

"Mioka, even you have to admit. Seiriyu Kotowashi is a full blown psychopath who wants to destroy villages and take girls hostage!" exclaimed Temari as she gave the secretary a wide eyed look.

"I don't like the fact that he wants to take the Lady Sage against her will, but I still believe he is doing what's best for our nation." said Mioka in a cold tone as she continues to stare straight ahead.

Gaara and Izuka exchange unsure looks before turning back to the secretary. The group continues their trek to the stadium in silence. Along the way, they observe the surrounding buildings, noticing they are attracting stares from some of the citizens within the tall structures.

"Is it just me, or do I see a lot of fear in those peoples' faces?" asked Daisuke, breaking the silence.

"They know that a duel is coming. They all look out their windows to catch a glimpse of Dictator Seiriyu's opponents before they are never seen again." answers Mioka bluntly as she stops in front of large round structure. "Here we are."

The group stops right behind her as they look at the outside of the building. Gaara lets out a small gasp. Since she is the closest one to him, Izuka is the only one to hear it.

"_Gaara, what's wrong?"_ asked Izuka with her mind.

"_This is the same building from my nightmare."_ answers Gaara in surprise as he continues to stare down the building.

Izuka lets out a quiet gasp of her own as she brings her attention back to the large arena. Mioka turns to the group.

"Follow me. The battlefield is right this way." said Mioka as she walks up the small front steps to the arena's main entrance.

The group is led up the stairs, through the large main entrance, and through a dark hallway until they reach the end, where a lighted doorway beckons them forward. As they approach the end, a loud but sadistic voice welcomes them.

"You're finally here!" calls Seiriyu from within the battlefield.

The group walked out of the dark hallway into a Roman styled coliseum; Seiriyu grins from his position right in the middle of it. A katana in a black sheath is strapped to his back.

"Come on in! Don't be shy!" cackles Seiriyu as he beckons the group further into the arena.

"Will that guy ever shut up?" asked Ryu with a sneer as the group walked onto the sandy pit that was the arena floor.

"Apparently no." said Temari bluntly as the group stopped walking a clear 20 feet away from Seiriyu.

"Welcome to the Arena!" greeted Seiriyu with a conniving smile. He turned to Mioka. "Return to the tower Mioka. Your job is done here."

"Yes sir." said Mioka obediently as she walks back to the entrance.

"The rest of you can take a seat in the stands. There are plenty of options to choose from." said Seiriyu as he gestured towards the empty arena stands.

"Gaara?" questioned Kankuro as he looked at his little brother.

"Go ahead. I'll be fine." said Gaara as he looked at everyone's unsure faces.

"Alright then little brother; we'll be supporting you all the way from the stands." said Temari as she gives the young redhead a genuine smile.

"The family time is nice and sweet and all, but I'm on a tight schedule and I have a council meeting after this, so can you please just move it along?" said Seiriyu as he makes a shooing motion at the group.

"Fine then!" calls Temari for the rest of the group.

"Jerk." she mumbles under her breath as she walks towards the stands. Kankuro and Ryu stifle their chuckles as they follow after the wind mistress. Daisuke only shakes his head as he follows the three.

Izuka starts to walk after them when suddenly Seiriyu's voice stops her in her tracks.

"You stay right where you are, Lady Sage!" calls Seiriyu as he points to her back.

"What do you want with her now Seiriyu? She's not part of this duel." said a suspicious Gaara as he narrows his eyes at the dictator.

"On the contrary, Kazekage-san; since she is one of the things we are both fighting for, she is a part of this duel." said Seiriyu with his signature sadistic smile.

Seiriyu turned his attention back to Izuka, whose back was still facing him.

"Why don't you turn around so we can see that pretty little face of yours?" asked Seiriyu cockily.

Gaara was getting more and more agitated by the second as he listened to Seiriyu's words to Izuka. Izuka slowly turned her body back around and faced the dictator with cold eyes.

"Now what's with that look Lady Sage? I'm usually a nice guy, but when I get looks like yours, I feel like the bad guy." said Seiriyu as he crossed his arms.

"Oh really?" asked Izuka with sarcasm laced throughout her voice as she crossed her arms at the dictator.

"Really." answered Seiriyu as he outstretched his hand in Izuka's direction.

Gaara picked up that something really bad was going to happen. He turned to Izuka.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY IZUKA!" he yelled in a frantic tone. The yell startled Izuka as she started to move out of Seiriyu's line of vision.

"Too late Lady Sage; DARK NINJA ARTS: BLACK LIGHTNING!" screamed Seiriyu as he closed his hand into a fist.

Izuka managed to get out of Seiriyu's line of sight, but it was too late to prevent the attack. Suddenly, bolts of black lightning encircled her body and started to shock her to no end.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" yelled Izuka in pain and agony as the black lightning continued to ravage her body.

"IZUKA!" screamed Temari and Ryu as they observed the carnage before them. Kankuro and Daisuke could only look on with shocked faces.

Gaara angrily turned to Seiriyu, who was smirking evilly at him.

"Stop this Seiriyu! Your fight is with me, not with her! Leave Izuka out of this!" yelled Gaara angrily as he unsealed his gourd from its scroll and placed it on his back.

"If you insist Kazekage-san." said Seiryu with a sigh as he unclenched his fist.

The black lightning ceased shocking Izuka's body and dissipated into thin air. As the last of the lightning disappeared, Izuka collapsed face first onto the ground with a painful thud.

"IZUKA!" exclaimed Gaara in worry. He ran over to her body and flipped her over. Even though small aftershocks of the black lightning still traveled throughout her body, Gaara wasn't affected by them thanks to his sand armor.

"Izuka?" Gaara questioned as he started to shake her awake. "Can you hear me Izuka? Speak to me."

Izuka weakly opened her eyes and looked up at Gaara's face, which was hovering a mere few inches above hers.

"Gaara?" she whispered before effectively passing out in Gaara's arms.

"What was that lightning?" asked Kankuro in a stunned whisper.

"That lightning definitely was not normal lightning." said Temari in a whisper of her own.

"I'll be happy to answer your question Sand Siblings." said Seiryu as he turned to the group in the stands.

The group moved their attention from Gaara and Izuka to the dictator.

"You see, the jutsu I performed just now can only affect jinchurikis like the Lady Sage." answered Seiriyu bluntly as he unstrapped the katana from his back.

"THAT CAN'T BE!" yelled Daisuke as he looked at the dictator with stunned eyes.

"But it is Advisor-san. The jutsu works in a certain way. The higher the tail amount of the beast that a jinchuriki possesses, the higher the shock quality of my black lightning."

"So, since Izuka contains the 10 tailed beast, she was shocked at the lightning's highest level?" asked Ryu in disdain.

"Exactly little dragon." answered Seiriyu. "All the other tailed beasts are over looked because of the fact that Izuka is originally the 10 tailed jinchuriki. Heck, your brother would have been affected too if he was still the one tailed jinchuriki."

"That's just sick!" exclaimed Kankuro as he clenched his fists.

"That's just business." answered Seiriyu calmly as he turned his attention over to Gaara, who was walking towards the stands with Izuka in his arms.

"Is she going to be alright?" asked Ryu as she observed Gaara placing Izuka on one of the stone seats.

"She'll be fine, but she will be unconscious for a while." said Gaara as he stood back up and faced Seiriyu.

"Gaara, what are you thinking?" asked Temari curiously as she eyed her brother nervously.

"Seiriyu needs to be stopped once and for all. I don't want any of you guys to interfere with the duel." said Gaara coldly as he continued to look at the cruel and girl shocking dictator.

"But Gaara?" exclaimed Kankuro.

"Stop it Kankuro-san." scolded Daisuke as he looked at the puppeteer.

"Daisuke?" questioned Kankuro as he looked at the advisor.

"If we interfere with the duel, we will only get caught in the crossfire, considering how unpredictable Seiriyu is. It's best to let your brother handle it." answered Daisuke as he too turned to Seiriyu.

"But Daisuke?" questioned Kankuro, but he was rebuffed by the advisor once again.

"No buts, Kankuro. You trust your brother can handle this, don't you?" asked Daisuke as he turned to face him.

It took a while for Kankuro to answer. "Yeah I do. We won't interfere with your match as you wish Gaara."

"Thank you Kankuro." said Gaara as he turned to face his elder sibling. He then turned to face everyone else before looking down at Izuka's unconscious body with a pained expression.

"We'll take care of Izzy, Gaara. You just focus on Seiriyu." said Temari kindly as she faced her brother.

"Thank you everyone." said Gaara as he turned back to Seiriyu. He started to walk down the small steps that separated the arena floor from the stands.

"_Seiriyu, for Suna, for my friends, for my family, for Izzy, I will defeat you." _thought Gaara as he walked on the arena floor.

"_Even if it costs me my last breath."_

End of chapter 26.

**A/N: Please review and vote on my poll.**


	27. One Duel, Many Revelations!

Chapter 27: One Duel, Many Revelations!

Gaara stopped walking 10 feet from Seiriyu, contemplating his strategy for the duel.

"There's no point of thinking about a strategy for the duel Gaara-san. I'll admit I'm unpredictable. And you can't really think of a strategy for unpredictable." said Seiriyu with a smog smirk as he looked at his sheathed sword.

Gaara just gave the dictator a blank stare.

"_He's right."_ thought Gaara_. "What kind of strategy is there for facing an unpredictable opponent?"_

"Does Gaara really have a strategy that will work against Seiriyu?" asked Ryu as she looked at the two teens on the battlefield.

"I doubt it. The only person before Seiriyu that Gaara faced who's unpredictable was Naruto. But I don't think his unpredictability compares to the dictator's." said Temari nervously as she sat down next to Izuka's unconscious form.

"Somehow, I think you just offended Izuka's brother with that remark Temari." said Kankuro as he gave his sister a suspicious look.

Temari scowled at the puppeteer before returning her attention to the battlefield.

"Be prepared Gaara-san, because I'm going to show you the weapon that will be the main instrument in your defeat." said Seiriyu as he held his sheathed sword out to him.

Gaara's body slightly tensed at the sight of the sword. His eyes widened when Seiriyu took the sword out of its sheath.

"What's wrong Gaara-san? You look like you've seen a ghost." commented Seiriyu with a teasing smirk.

Gaara's face soon returned to its neutral expression, this time mixed with a little agitation.

"What kind of sword is that?" asked Daisuke as he looked at Seiriyu's weapon.

"The sword is pitch black, from the hilt to the blade." said Kankuro.

"What kind of metal is that?" asked Ryu.

"I don't know, but we'll soon find out." said Temari in nervous anticipation.

"Hm, like my sword Gaara-san? Ever since I took it out of its sheath, you haven't averted your gaze from it." commented Seiriyu as he twirled the sword between his fingers.

"What kind of sword is it? What's it made of?" asked Gaara. _"Cause it's the same exact sword from my nightmare." _he thought.

"My entire sword, the blade, the hilt, even the sheath, is a katana made from a mixture of iron ore and a dark chakra crystal that was found by some of my men in the mountain range east of here." answered Seiriyu.

"Dark chakra crystal?" asked Gaara a tad confused.

"Yes; it was a very rare find indeed. After the crystal was found, I sent a team to excavate the area where they found the first crystal which was used for this sword. The resulting find was worthwhile." said Seiriyu as he reminisced.

"Worthwhile?" Gaara questioned.

"To put it bluntly, the excavation team found a large cave filled with thousands of the same dark chakra crystals as the one within my sword. We've processed them since then, draining that cave until it was barren." said Seiriyu.

"Let me guess. You had the crystals processed and turned into weapons similar to the one you're holding?" asked Gaara as he crossed his arms.

"Indeed I did. Very good guess Kazekage-san. You see, the chakra crystals all have the ability to enhance the chakra of whoever is holding them. I soon discovered that once the crystal touches a shinobi's skin, it takes some of the chakra from that shinobi and combines it with the crystal wielder's own." said Seiriyu with a conniving smirk.

"Thus making the wielder more powerful with each touch." finished Gaara as he looked at Seiriyu in surprise.

"Indeed, so you better be careful that I don't cut you Gaara-san. My army is going to use the weapons to attack and invade Suna and no one will stop us. Not even you. So if you want to protect your village, YOU BETTER NOT LOSE!" screamed Seiriyu as he started to run towards Gaara while holding his katana menacingly.

Gaara commanded some sand to become a barrier between him and Seiriyu. The katana struck the barrier with a sharp clash. Gaara used the sand in the barrier to push Seiriyu away. Seiriyu moved out of the way before the sand could touch him. He soon reappeared sitting on the eastern wall of the stadium.

"This is going to be fun!" exclaimed Seiriyu as he let the lights in the stadium reflect on his sword.

More sand started to pour out of Gaara's sand gourd and started to surround him. Gaara outstretched his hand at Seiriyu.

"SAND BULLETS!" exclaimed the Kazekage.

The sand formed itself into little bullets and fired themselves at the dictator. Seiriyu only smirked and raised his hand at the bullets.

"You're going to have to try better than that. DARK NINJA ARTS: DARK GRAVITY!"

A strange invisible force appeared in front of Seiriyu's outstretched palm before launching itself at the incoming sand bullets. The sand bullets were pushed away into oblivion.

"What the hell!" exclaimed Kankuro as he looked at the scene.

"What was that force?" asked Ryu. "It appeared out of nowhere."

"I have no idea but it pushed Gaara's sand bullets away like they were nothing." said Temari.

Suddenly, Izuka began to stir, gaining the attention of the others.

"Is Izuka waking up?" asked Daisuke as he looked at the unconscious Lady Sage.

"I don't think so, but I guess she stirred because of the impact of this battle. Thanks to that sword of Seiriyu's, she must be sensing the dark chakra." said Temari as she looked back at the two on the battlefield_. "Gaara be careful. If Izuka is able to sense this kind of chakra while unconscious, then this is one bad guy you need to keep your eye out for."_

"What kind of jutsu was that?" asked Gaara as he looked at the dictator who was still casually sitting on top of the arena wall.

"I've trained for years in the dark arts of ninjutsu and genjutsu. I'm a whiz at some forbidden jutsus. What I just used was one of them." answered Seiriyu with a smirk.

"A forbidden jutsu?" asked Gaara in mild surprise.

"Indeed." whispered Seiriyu as he suddenly appeared right behind Gaara. He outstretched his palm.

"DARK NINJA ARTS: DARK GRAVITY!"

Gaara was pushed away by the same invisible force from before back first into the arena wall, crushing his gourd and cracking his sand armor in the process.

"GAARA!" yelled Kankuro as he witnessed his brother crash into the wall. Ryu and Temari let out sharp gasps while Daisuke looked on in stunned silence.

"Is that the best you got?" asked Seiriyu as he walked a few steps closer to the Kazekage.

"How was . . . possible?" asked Gaara as he tried to catch his breath, "How are you so fast?"

"I'm not giving you anymore answers Kazekage-san. You either fight or you DIE!" yelled Seiriyu as he launched some black lightning bolts at Gaara.

"GAARA DODGE IT!" yelled Kankuro frantically.

Gaara did what Kankuro said and moved to his right to dodge the attack. He dodged it successfully, but suddenly Seiriyu appeared right next to him. Seiriyu moved his right leg and kicked Gaara straight in the chest. Gaara flew and skidded on the ground like a rock would when you expertly threw it into a body of water and stopped a few feet from the main entrance.

"You haven't impressed me so far, Kazekage-san. I would understand if you wanted to quit the duel, but that would mean the sure invasion of your village and Izzy falling into my hands." said Seiriyu with his sadistic smirk.

Gaara sat up while looking at Seiriyu with hooded eyes of anger.

"_How dare he say that? I'm not going to quit. I'm not going to let Suna get invaded. And I'm definitely not letting him take Izuka." _thought Gaara as he shakily got up from the ground while clutching his chest.

"This isn't looking good." commented Ryu as she looked at the youngest Sand Sibling get up.

"From the looks of it, Gaara's sand armor has been holding up pretty well. But that kick from Seiriyu went straight to his chest. He must have got a few cracked ribs from that alone." commented Daisuke.

"What are you, a medical nin?" asked Kankuro as he looked at the advisor while raising an eyebrow.

"Actually I was a medical nin before I became one of the Wind Daimyo's advisors." said Daisuke with a sheepish smirk.

"Well isn't that convenient because I think Gaara's going to need one after this." said Temari as the four returned their attention to the battlefield just in time to see Seiriyu connect with a punch to Gaara's face.

The dictator soon jumped up and kicked Gaara right in his right temple.

"That's way too many head shots!" yelled Kankuro angrily as he pumped his fists in the air frantically.

Seiriyu shot him a look that made Kankuro shut up and sit back down in his seat. He then turned to Gaara, who was kneeling on the ground clutching his sore head and sore ribs.

"What's wrong Kazekage-san? Running out of chakra?" asked Seiriyu with blank expression on his face.

Gaara gave the dictator an angry look before widening his eyes in realization. He was running out of chakra. The thing is, he barely attacked Seiriyu throughout their match.

"What did you do?" asked Gaara coldly as he moved his gaze to Seiriyu's sword which was right in his hand.

"Remember when I said the dark chakra crystals absorb chakra to enhance the wielder's power?" asked Seiriyu as he started to circle Gaara.

Gaara reluctantly shook his head yes.

"You see Kazekage-san. Different shinobi have different and specific powers. There's you with your sand, the Lady Sage with her elements, your brother with his puppets, your sister with her wind. And then there is me with my absorption." said Seiriyu with a neutral expression, the plainest one he wore all day.

"Absorption?" questioned Gaara as he winced at the pain caused by his slightly cracked ribs.

"Indeed. I come from a clan whose kekkai genkai is the ability to absorb the chakra from their opponents, synthesize it, and use it as their own. Some of my family members were even able to use their own opponents' abilities against them." said Seiriyu as he kneeled down in front of Gaara so he could be at eye level with him.

"Were you say?" asked Gaara as he looked at Seiriyu with cold eyes.

"My family was assassinated when I was young boy because our enemies considered us and our kekkai genkai a serious threat. Mioka and I were the only survivors." said Seiriyu bluntly as he stood up and dusted off his black pants and jacket.

"Mioka?" called Daisuke from the stands. "You're related to your secretary?"

"She's my cousin actually." called Daisuke as an answer to the advisor. He then turned his attention to Gaara, who stood back up on his own two feet.

"I soon found out that the people that assassinated my family were ANBU from Sunagakure. The execution order was made by the Yondaime Kazekage, your father Gaara-san."

Gaara opened his eyes wide at this news.

"So it was our own father that sent Seiriyu on this downward spiral of his." said Temari as she looked at the ground.

"Dang it Dad! How many lives did you ruin? First Gaara's then Seiriyu's! Who's next?" asked Kankuro as he slammed his fist into the wall in anger.

"So, is this invasion of yours just to showcase the strength of Amegakure or is it for revenge for your clan because of what my father did to them?" panted Gaara as he questioned the dictator.

"Both." whispered Seiriyu as he disappeared and then reappeared behind Gaara. He raised his sword and slashed Gaara right across his chest. The wound was so severe that it cut straight through his sand armor and into his skin. Blood pooled from the wound as Gaara collapsed to his knees, blood now coming from his mouth as well.

"The reason your chakra is draining from you is because with each hit I was able to land on you, whether it was by using my sword, fist, or sandaled foot, I was able to drain and absorb your chakra throughout our fight. I was even able to absorb the chakra from your own sand. Your chakra is now a part of my chakra. Thanks for the donation, Gaara-san." said Seiriyu with his sadistic smirk appearing on his face again.

"You sadistic bastard." said Gaara before he started to cough up blood.

"Better not speak. But what's the point since I'm going to kill you anyway!" exclaimed Seiriyu as he raised his sword up for the final blow.

"DON'T DO IT COUSIN SEIRIYU!" exclaimed a feminine voice from within the arena.

Seiriyu, Gaara, and everyone else turned their head to the main entrance to see Mioka appear from behind the door.

"What the hell are you doing here Mioka? I told you to go back to the tower!" exclaimed Seiriyu in surprise as he looked at his cousin, who was running up to the two.

"Cousin please do not kill this one!" exclaimed Mioka as she stopped five feet from the two.

"Why should I not end his life?" asked Seiriyu in a curious voice as he looked at his cousin.

"You've drained most of the Kazekage-san's chakra. Combine that with the injuries you gave him, he should die in a few hours anyway. You don't need to do anymore, Seiriyu. You've already won." said Mioka as she came close to tears.

"Mioka?" asked Seiriyu in surprise as he looked at his tearful cousin. He then turned to Gaara, then to Kankuro and the others in the stands, and then finally back to Mioka. He closed his eyes, sighed, and sheathed his sword.

"Congratulations Gaara-san, you are the first to not die by my blade." said Seiriyu in a cold voice.

"What?" asked Gaara as he looked at the dictator in slight surprise.

"But my cousin is right." said Seiriyu, ignoring Gaara's earlier question. "Thanks to your loss of chakra and the wounds I've dealt you, you're bound to die in a few hours."

Seiriyu turned towards Gaara with a sadistic smile on his face. "You can no longer fight Kazekage-san. I won and you lost. The invasion of your village will go as planned. Plus, as part of my after winning duels tradition, I get to take one thing from you.. And we both know who that is."

Gaara gave Seiriyu a murderous look. Seiriyu ignored it and turned his attention over to Kankuro and the others.

"Uh oh! He's looking over here." exclaimed Ryu.

"He's going to take the Lady Sage from us." said Daisuke as he got into a fighting stance.

"Oh no he's not!" exclaimed Kankuro as he unsealed Black Ant.

"Oh yes I am."

Kankuro, Ryu, and Daisuke turned around to see Seiriyu standing in a few seats above them with Izuka in his arms, still unconscious in his grasp. Temari was knocked out cold at his feet.

"Temari!" exclaimed Kankuro. He moved a chakra string that opened one of Black Ant's compartments. Kunai flew from the compartment at Seiriyu, but he disappeared before the kunai could hit him.

"Where'd he go?" asked Kankuro in anger.

"Over there!" exclaimed Ryu as she pointed to the arena floor.

Daisuke and Kankuro turned to see Seiriyu walk with Izuka in his arms over to Gaara and Mioka.

"How is this guy so fast?" asked Kankuro in surprise.

"He's no guy Kankuro. He's a monster." replied Daisuke as he too looked on in surprise.

Seiriyu stopped walking right in front of Gaara while smiling at the unconscious girl in his arms.

"This is probably my best prize yet!" exclaimed Seiriyu with slight glee as he looked at the blonde girl in his arms.

"Let her go Seiriyu!" said Gaara murderously at the dictator.

"A deal's a deal, Gaara-san. You lost, which means you will lose your village and now?" asked Seiriyu. He looked at Izuka once again before looking at Gaara. "You lose your girlfriend."

Seiriyu maniacally laughed as he walked towards the main entrance with his prize in hand and his cousin in tow.

"No! Come back!" exclaimed Gaara. He stretched his arm trying in vain to reach them before fainting, finally succumbing to the darkness and falling in his own pool of blood.

End of chapter 27

**A/N: Please review and vote on my poll.**


	28. Truths, Plans, and Worries

Chapter 28: Truths, Plans, and Worries

Gaara woke up to find himself in a pitch black area that didn't seem to end.

"Where am I?" asked Gaara as he looked around at his darkened surroundings.

"Son?" asked a masculine voice from out of the darkness.

"What was that voice?" asked Gaara as he continued to look around.

"I'm right here." answered the voice from behind Gaara.

The young Kazekage turned around to see a man appear from the darkness. He looked almost like Kankuro, except he was older and wasn't wearing any face paint.

"Father?" asked Gaara, not believing what he was seeing in front of him.

"Hello son." answered the Yondaime Kazekage as he walked closer to his youngest child.

"Am I dead?" asked Gaara bluntly as he looked around at their empty surroundings.

"No you are not." answered the Fourth as he crossed his arms.

"Where are we then?" asked Gaara as he looked at his father.

"In your subconscious." answered the Yondaime Kazekage flatly as he raised an eyebrow at his youngest son.

"Shouldn't I be dead?" asked Gaara as he looked down at the ground in anger.

"No, your allies saved you. You live to fight another day." answered the Fourth.

"But how can I beat a guy like Seiriyu? He's too powerful!" exclaimed Gaara in anger as he continued to look at the ground.

"You'll figure it out." answered the Fourth with sincerity.

"How can I? I lost! The village is going to be invaded and I…" Gaara trailed off as he looked off to the side.

"Lost your girlfriend?" suggested the Yondaime as he walked closer to his son.

Gaara didn't speak, but he nodded his head with a glum yes in answer.

"Look son, we'll win some battles and lose some battles. The key to winning battles is to learn from your past mistakes and improve on them. It also helps to understand your enemies better so you can figure out their weaknesses more easily." advised the elder Kazekage.

"Good advice, Father." said a sarcastic Gaara as he crossed his arms. "I'll use it next time."

"You'll figure it out eventually. Just let your instincts guide you to the right answers." said the Fourth. A tired look appeared on his face and he turned away from Gaara.

"I must go." said the elder man as he started to walk away from Gaara.

"What?" asked Gaara as he looked at the man's back.

"I can no longer maintain this form Gaara. I must leave before all my chakra dissipates." answered the Yondaime Kazekage as he continued to walk away from his son.

"Wait, before you go, I have one question to ask you. Why did you order the execution of Seiriyu's clan?" asked Gaara as he ran up to his father.

The Yondaime stopped walking and turned towards his youngest child. "You really want to know son?"

"I do." answered Gaara. "If I'm going to understand Seiriyu, then I need to know about that execution order."

"Fine, I'll tell you." said the Fourth in defeat. "I ordered the execution order against the Kotowashi Clan because they posed a serious threat to Suna. They were creating a large army to invade Suna."

"Why?" asked Gaara. "What did Suna ever do to them?"

"The Kotowashi Clan was originally one of Suna's premier clans before they were exiled from the village."

"Exiled?" asked Gaara.

"Indeed; they were planning an assassination attempt against the Second Kazekage. He found out about it and confronted the Kotowashi Clan leader. The Clan leader challenged him to a duel and fought well. But in the end, the Second prevailed. He killed the Clan leader and exiled the rest of his family from Suna."

"I see." commented Gaara.

"The Second sent ANBU members to watch the Clan after they were exiled. We soon learned that they moved to Amegakure and became prominent members in their society. They used their status to grow an army."

"An army to attack Suna for revenge for their exile and the death of their Clan leader?" asked Gaara.

"Exactly; but before they could get their plan fully into action, I ordered the execution order and had the entire clan eradicated." said the Fourth glumly.

"They weren't completely eradicated. Seiriyu said that he and his cousin Mioka are the only survivors." replied Gaara.

"I see. Maybe his cousin can be of some help to you." said the Fourth as he turned away from Gaara.

"How will she be helpful?" asked Gaara.

"I don't know, but if she pleaded with her cousin to spare your life, then she must be of some good." said the Fourth as he began to disappear.

"Father, wait!" exclaimed Gaara as he tried to reach him.

"I know you will succeed my son. I have faith in you." said the Yondaime Kazekage as he completely disappeared.

"He has faith in me?" asked Gaara incredulously to himself.

"Gaara!" yelled a new and familiar voice.

"Kankuro?" asked Gaara in surprise.

"Gaara!" yelled a feminine voice.

"Temari?" asked Gaara as he looked around the area. "Where are you?"

"Wake up Gaara!" yelled Kankuro.

"Come back to us Gaara!" yelled Temari.

"But I'm right here!" exclaimed Gaara. "Damn it. I need to wake up."

Gaara closed his eyes tightly and began to concentrate.

"AHHHHH!" Gaara yelled as he sat up. He then winced in pain and grabbed his broken ribs.

"You're awake!" yelled Ryu happily as she climbed onto Gaara's shoulders.

"Good to know you're not dead again after all!" exclaimed Kankuro with a worried grin.

Temari slapped him upside his head.

"Sorry!" said Kankuro as he rubbed his sore temple.

"How are you feeling little brother?" asked Temari as she turned her attention to the bandaged redhead.

"I'll live." said Gaara bluntly as he looked around the room, which was dusty and run down. "Why does it look like we're in an abandoned warehouse and how long was I out?"

"Because we are in one. And to answer your second question, you've been out for three days." answered Daisuke as he walked into the room.

"Where are we?" asked Gaara as he turned to his siblings.

"We're hiding out in a warehouse on the outskirts of the capital city. After Seiriyu left the arena, ANBU members were sent to capture us. We avoided them and have been here ever since." answered Kankuro as he looked through a broken window that was boarded up with wood. "Daisuke here is a trained medical nin. He's the one that bandaged you up."

Gaara looked down at himself to see that the only thing that was covering his chest were white bandages. There were some wrapped around his arms as well. Gaara turned to the advisor. "Thank you."

"Just doing my job." answered Daisuke as he sat next to Temari.

"What about Izuka?" asked Gaara, but he already knew the answer.

"Seiriyu took her. He's probably back at the tower right at this minute planning out his invasion." said Ryu in a pissed tone. Gaara couldn't help but share the sentiment.

"What does he even plan to do with her anyway?" asked Kankuro as he put his hands in his pockets.

"There are many possibilities Kankuro. He could use the tailed beasts within her to aid in his attack against Suna, absorb her massive amounts of chakra to make it his own, or gloat to the world that he beat the Kazekage and has the Sage of the Sixth Paths in his possession." said Temari nonchalantly.

Everyone gave her blank glares.

"Too much?" asked Temari.

"Just a tad." answered Ryu.

"All those possibilities are bad nonetheless. We need to rescue the Lady Sage and stop the invasion. Duel or no duel." said Daisuke.

"And how can we accomplish that?' asked Kankuro.

"Mioka could be of some help." said Gaara a little hopefully.

"Mioka? You mean Seiriyu's secretary slash cousin?" asked Ryu as she turned to Gaara.

"Exactly; if she was able to get Seiriyu to not kill me when he had the chance, then there is some good in her." said Gaara as he crossed his arms.

"That's not a bad idea, Gaara. Where'd you think of that?" asked Temari.

"Father?" answered Gaara blankly.

"Huh?" asked everybody else.

Gaara proceeded to tell the others all about the talk he had with his father within the confines of his mind.

"The whole Kotowashi clan was bad news right from the get go." said Daisuke in understanding.

"That's one troubled clan, ever since the time of the Second Kazekage." Temari said to herself.

"Well at least we know a little about Seiriyu's past." said Ryu. "It could be useful to us in the future."

"You may be right Ryu. So, what's the plan?" asked Kankuro. "Quietly break into the Dictator's tower, find Izuka, rescue her, and somehow breakup the invasion?"

Everyone else gave each other sheepish looks.

"Oh boy." said Kankuro as he placed his head in his hands.

"What choice do we have Kankuro? Seiriyu probably has all the city gates guarded, so getting back up is out of the picture." said Temari.

"Plus if we fly, I think a large purple serpentine dragon will definitely be noticeable in the sky." said a sarcastic Ryu as she flew around the room.

"You make a good point." said Kankuro with a nervous laugh.

"The plan you just said Kankuro is basically our only option." said Temari.

"I guess so." said Kankuro as he turned to his little brother, who managed to stand up on his own.

"You think you're healed enough, Gaara?" asked Kankuro with a hint of worry in his voice.

"I'll manage." said Gaara as he took a scroll out of his pack. He unsealed it and a spare red coat, vest, and shirt appeared from out of the smoke.

"How many do you have?" asked Temari as she watched Gaara put on a spare shirt and then his coat and then his vest.

"A few." answered Gaara as he turned to the rest of them.

"How are you going to fight without your sand?" asked Ryu.

"I actually carried a spare sand gourd sealed in a scroll with me on our trip, but I gave it to Izuka for safekeeping." said Gaara as he scratched his head.

"Well now, all we need to do is get to Izuka first and then disrupt the invasion." said Temari as she placed her fan on her back.

"This is one of the few days that the sun has actually appeared and the rain stopped. The time now is 6 p.m." said Daisuke as he looked at his watch.

"We leave for the tower when the sun sets." said Gaara.

"Right!" said everybody else.

Gaara walked over to the window that Kankuro was standing in front of earlier. He looked out of it and instantly laid his eyes on the Dictator's tower in the distance.

"_I hope you're okay Izuka. I promise to get you out of there. Just stay safe and don't let Seiriyu try anything." _thought Gaara as he looked at the tower with a determined look on his face.

**At the dictator's tower**

Izuka finally awoke to see that she was in the living room of the Sand Sibling's suite in the Dictator's tower.

"I'm in the suite?" asked Izuka to no one in the room.

She got up from the couch she was laying on and walked over to one of the large windows. She looked at the clouds and noticed the sun starting to set on the horizon.

"I must have been out for a few days at least." Izuka said to herself. "That was some black lightning I was shocked with."

"Good night to watch the full moon, huh?" asked a mischievous voice from within the room.

Izuka spun around to see Seiriyu sitting on one of the recliners with a smug smile on his face.

"What are you doing here?' asked Izuka.

"I'm just admiring my prize." said Seiriyu with a full blown smirk on his face.

"Prize?" asked Izuka as she walked a few tentative steps over to Seiriyu.

"Indeed. I won the duel between me and your boyfriend." answered Seiriyu.

"He's not dead, is he?" said Izuka a tad unsure to herself.

"Not really. I spared his life, but the wounds I've dealt him should be enough to kill him. Unless his siblings, advisor, and your dragon save him somehow." answered Seiriyu in annoyance.

"Oh, they'll definitely save him. There not going to let him die a second time." said Izuka in a cold voice.

"Then it's a good thing I sent my ANBU after them." said Seiriyu as he got up from his chair and walked into the kitchen. Izuka cautiously followed him.

"What are you going to do with me?" asked Izuka as she stood in the kitchen doorway.

"I'm going to keep you locked in my tower for now and I have made sure of it that you can't escape." said Seiriyu as he took out a water bottle from the fridge and took a swig from it.

"How so?" asked Izuka.

"Look at your wrists to find out." said Seiriyu as he pointed to Izuka's hands.

Izuka looked down to see a kanji seals scribbled right around her wrists. She looked at the dictator in annoyance.

"What are these?" asked Izuka in agitation.

"Those kanjis are seals that will shock you with the same black lightning I shocked you with earlier if you even try to step a foot out of this suite. We wouldn't want a repeat of that now do we?" asked Seiriyu as he walked past her.

"You're bluffing." said Izuka.

"I never bluff when I'm serious Lady Sage-san." said Seiriyu as he snapped his fingers. Instantly, bolts of black lightning emanated from the seals and started to shock her.

"AAAAH!" said Izuka as she felt the lightning ravage her body once again.

Seiriyu snapped his fingers to cease the lightning.

"It's a lot more subdued from the first time." commented Izuka as she shakily got back up to her feet.

"Very perceptive of you Izuka." said Seiriyu as he stopped in front of the door. "The seal gives you a lesser shock, but it still gives you pain, doesn't it?" he asked with his sadistic grin.

Izuka turned to him, but she didn't answer him.

"In two hours, you will join me as my date for a celebratory banquet down in the tower's main hall. I'll send a servant here in a few minutes with your outfit for the event. The banquet will be attended by many influential citizens of Amegakure, including the Rain Daimyo, so please, play nice." said Seiriyu as he opened the door.

"I'll see you then, my Lady Sage-san." said Seiriyu with a smirk as he left the room, closing the door behind him with a silent click.

Izuka let out an annoyed groan as she slowly walked over to the window. She looked out into the city skyline.

"_Gaara, I hope you and the others are all right, wherever you are_." she thought to herself as she looked out into the city, wondering if this never ending nightmare was ever going to end.

End of chapter 28.

**A/N: Please review and vote on poll.**

**BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUTS: Happy birthday tomorrow, January 23, Shino Aburame from Naruto!**


	29. Infiltration Successful!

Chapter 29: Infiltration Successful!

As soon as the sun set and night fell over Amegakure's capital city, the Sand Siblings, Daisuke the advisor, and Ryu the dragon made their way out of the abandoned warehouse they were staying in for the last few days and into the shadows of Amegakure's capital city.

As the group made their way to the dictator's tower, they stayed hidden in the shadows made by the tall buildings and avoided Seiriyu's ANBU at all costs.

"Here we are. The building appears to be busy tonight." said Daisuke as the group ran through the streets like the ninjas they were.

"I wonder why?" asked Ryu.

"Well, let's get a closer look then shall we?" asked Temari as she picked up the pace. The others followed suit.

They stopped and hid behind the nearest building to the Dictator's tower. Different horse drawn carriages were converging at the tower's entrance, dropping off official looking person after official looking person.

"Hey guys! Isn't that guy in the official looking hat with the rain kanji on the front the Rain Daimyo?" asked Kankuro as he pointed at the tall man exiting his golden carriage with two women in tow.

"You're right Kankuro." answered Temari. "It looks like they are all here for a party."

"A party that we're going to crash?" asked Kankuro as he looked at the others.

"Not until we find Izuka first." said Gaara as he scanned their surroundings. "My guess is that Seiriyu's going to make her come to the party as well."

"It's probably their celebration party for their invasion of Suna." suggested Daisuke as he looked at the building. "The question now is how are we going to get into the building without being detected by the guards."

"I have an idea." said Temari as she ran for the back of the building. The rest followed.

"What do you have in mind sis?" asked Kankuro as the group stopped at a corner of the building.

"Shh and look." said Temari as she pointed.

The group looked to see the back door of the tower being guarded by four menacing looking guards, each holding regular swords.

"Ryu, do you think you can distract those guards?" asked Temari as she turned to the dragon.

"I'll see what I can do." answered Ryu as she slithered over to the door.

Ryu made a guttural growl to get the guards' attention. One of the guards, who was bald, looked at her.

"Hey guys! Check this out! It's a dragon!" said the guard.

"That's something you don't see every day. What's it doing here?" asked a second guard, who was wearing a helmet.

"Who knows, but Dictator Seiriyu will probably like the little creature as a congratulatory gift." said a third guard with a beard.

"Yeah right!" yelled Ryu in agitation as she grew to her true size. She smacked two guards into the wall with her large paws while swatting the other two with her tail into the same wall. She quickly shrunk herself back into her smaller form, checked the guards' pulses, and signaled that the coast was clear.

"Nice job Ryu." said Kankuro.

"It's a gift." answered Ryu calmly as she observed Temari unlocking the door with one of the guards' keys.

"We're in." said Temari as she silently walked inside, followed by Gaara, Daisuke, Kankuro, and Ryu.

The group was now standing in an empty hallway that was dimly lit.

"What now?" asked Daisuke as he looked around.

"Gaara, use your telepathic link with Izuka to find her!" said Ryu in a slightly commanding tone.

"Your WHAT?!" asked Daisuke, Kankuro, and Temari in surprise as they looked at the redhead.

Gaara sighed before answering. "Izuka and I share a telepathic link with each other thanks to Shukaku ever since the last war ended."

"So, you guys have been like secret conversations with each other when you talk with other people?" asked Temari.

"Something like that." answered Gaara in a plain tone.

"How kinky of you two." commented Kankuro in a pervy tone.

"Shut it Kankuro! We're not in the mood for your nonsense and Ryu, how do you know about my telepathic link with Izuka?" asked Gaara as he turned to the dragon.

"Izuka never really told me about it. It kind of happened during one of those nights she was actually able to sleep. She ended up talking in her sleep once and I found out about it then." answered Ryu.

Gaara only nodded. Kankuro looked surprise.

"Izuka actually slept once? How is that possible? She has Shukaku sealed within her for Pete's sake!" cried Kankuro.

"Do you want the whole tower to hear you?" asked Temari as she slapped her hand over Kankuro's mouth.

Kankuro shook his head no.

"To answer your question Kankuro, let's just say that Ryuna does have her moments when it comed to Shukaku." said Ryu with a nod.

Daisuke turned to Gaara. "You better try that telepathic link. It's probably our best option in finding her."

Gaara nodded and closed his eyes to concentrate. _"Izzy?" _he thought.

No answer.

"_Izzy, are you there?"_ thought Gaara.

Still no answer.

"_Izuka please tell me your safe."_ thought Gaara with a hint of worry.

"_I'm fine."_ answered Izuka.

Gaara let out a sigh of relief as he heard his girlfriend's telepathic voice.

"_What took you so long to answer me?"_ asked Gaara with a little bit of annoyance.

"_Seiriyu has been chatting up a storm right next to me." _answered Izuka flatly. _"Are you okay?"_

"_A few cuts and bruises and some broken ribs, but I'll be fine." _answered Gaara. _"Where are you?"_

Izuka let out a sigh of relief. "_I'm just leaving our old suite with Seiriyu. He's taking me to this banquet down in the tower's main hall as his date."_

"_Date?" _Gaara asked in an incredulous tone.

"_Yes."_ answered Izuka. _"And if I don't comply with his demands, he's going to shock me with the same black lightning he shocked me with in the arena a few days ago. I only woke up from that today."_

Gaara clearly remembered that scene. It always gave him a feeling of pain and guilt whenever he remembered Izuka in a weakened state.

"_How is he doing that?"_ asked Gaara in a serious tone.

"_He painted a kanji seal around both my wrists. He can easily shock me with a snap of his finger. I have no idea how to cancel it out"_ answered Izuka.

"_Well he won't get away with it on my watch. Do you have the scroll with my second gourd with you?"_ asked Gaara curiously.

"_No, they're both still within the suite in my room on the dresser. You're going to have to come to the suite to get it before going down to the main hall. Be careful though, Seiriyu put an electric seal on them and it will shock you if you touch it. That's why I didn't bring them with me." _said Izuka in an apologetic tone.

"_That's okay; we'll take care of that. Do you know where the main hall is?"_ asked Gaara.

"_It's down on the second floor. You can't miss it It's practically the only room on the floor."_ answered Izuka.

"_Thanks for the info Izuka. See you soon."_ said Gaara.

"_See ya."_ said Izuka as she signed off.

Gaara opened his eyes to see everyone else looking at him expectantly.

"Well?" asked Kankuro.

"Izuka is being taken to the tower's main hall as Seiriyu's date for a banquet he's having. He placed seals around Izuka's wrists that we'll shock her if she doesn't comply with his demands." said Gaara in agitation.

"Is he using the same black lightning from before?" asked Temari.

"Yes; Izuka only woke up from the first time she was shocked by that black lightning today." answered Gaara.

"Wow! That lightning is definitely bad news if Izuka was out of it for the past few days." commented Ryu.

"Right now we can't go to the hall just yet. We have to get to our old suite to get my scroll and Izuka's chain whip. But they are both protected by an electric seal." said Gaara as he started to walk down the hall.

"Don't worry about that Gaara-san. I know a few seals that deal with the elements. I could probably break it." said Daisuke with a sheepish grin.

"That's good to know. C'mon let's find the stairs." said Temari as she started to run down the halls.

"Stairs? Sis, our suite is on the 20th floor of the whole building. Can't we use the elevator?" whined Kankuro as he ran.

"If we can find a second elevator, then we'll use it. But for now, let's just look for the stairs." said Temari as she turned a corner.

"I so hate tall buildings!" grumbled Kankuro as he followed the others.

* * *

**With Izuka**

"Lady Sage, you look absolutely beautiful in your kimono." gushed Seiriyu as the two walked out of the elevator on the second floor arm-in-arm.

"Thanks." said Izuka plainly as she looked straight ahead. "You don't look so bad yourself."

Izuka was wearing a dark red kimono with a gold bow and gold detailing at its edges. Her hair was up in a bun with a rose intricately woven into it with a few hair strands falling to the sides of her face. She was wearing gold hoop earrings and her amulet and rosary were in its usual place around her neck. A servant had painted Izuka's lips rose red and dabbed some blush on her cheeks.

"Why thank you, you're too kind." said Seiriyu as he looked down at his black men's kimono. "You know, I always wondered why you wear that amulet around your neck all the time. Don't you ever take it off?" asked Seiriyu as he started to reach for the necklace.

Izuka instantly snatched it away from his hand.

"Please don't touch it. I'm very critical when someone does that." said Izuka in a cold tone.

"Why of course. As you wish Lady Sage." answered Seiriyu with a smirk.

The two continued their small walk in silence until they reached the main hall. As the two passed the guards that were stationed at the entryway and walked into the large room, Izuka couldn't help but gawk at the room.

"Amazing isn't it?" asked Seiriyu. "It's the oldest room in the building, but it's also the fanciest."

The banquet hall's color scheme was red and gold. The ceiling looked to reach up into the fifth floor and there was a large intricate chandelier in the middle of it. Paintings of different landscapes adorned the walls. There were people dressed in intricate kimonos mulling around the hall's floor. There were round tables surrounding three sides of a rectangular dance floor while a long rectangular table was at the last side.

"I see you've outdone yourself." said Izuka critically.

"Why thank you." replied Seiriyu. "The planned invasion of an enemy village is worth celebrating if you ask me."

"You act like you've already won." said Izuka skeptically.

"Since I've already defeated Suna's Kazekage, I've indeed already won." said Seiriyu with a sadistic smirk, which made Izuka squirm on the inside.

"Dictator Kotowashi!" exclaimed a loud voice.

Izuka and Seiriyu both turned their heads to see the Rain Daimyo walking over to them, followed by two of his female advisors.

"Rain Daimyo-sama, you made it!" exclaimed Seiriyu happily as he shook the man's hand.

"Yes I did. After hearing that you defeated the great Gaara of the Desert, I just had to come." said the Daimyo.

The Rain Daimyo was a tall man that easily exceeded six feet. He had long dark gray hair, a short dark gray beard, and was wearing a dark blue men's kimono. His usual Daimyo crown was sitting on top of his hair. His two advisors were wearing matching dark pink kimonos.

The Rain Daimyo soon turned his attention to Izuka.

"Ah; it's an honor to meet you Lady Sage-san." said the Daimyo as he shook her hand in his.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too." said Izuka with a fake grin.

"I heard you actually traveled here with the Kazekage of Sunagakure. Are you actually alright with his defeat and the invasion of Suna?" asked the Daimyo with a cocky grin.

Thanks to that grin, Izuka so knew that the Daimyo really didn't care about her opinion on the matter.

"I'm fine." Izuka decided to say.

"Excellent, I hope you like your long stay here in Amegakure. You'll love it here." said the Daimyo before he moved on to talk with the other guests.

"Long stay?" asked Izuka a tad incredulously.

"Indeed. I took you from Gaara because he lost to me in the duel. You are mine now Izuka. Forever." said Seiriyu with his signature sadistic smile.

Izuka only thought one thing when he said that.

"_Oh hell no!"_

End of chapter 29

**A/N: Please review!**


	30. Confrontation

Chapter 30: Confrontation

Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Daisuke, and Ryu found a spare elevator in the western part of the tower and rode it all the way up to the 20th floor. As soon as they reached the floor, they ran down the hall, passed the main elevator, and right in to a few guards guarding the suite.

"LOOK IT'S THE KAZEKAGE!" exclaimed one of the guards as he pointed at the group.

"Sorry we're in a hurry!" exclaimed Temari as she took out her fan.

Temari swung her fan and created a large wind gust that blew the guards straight into the door, rendering them unconscious.

"Kankuro, you and Ryu tie the guards up. We'll get Gaara's scroll and Izuka's chain whip." said Temari as she opened the door.

"Right!" exclaimed the dragon and puppeteer. Kankuro looked through his ninja pack and took out a roll of rope.

As the two tied up the guards, Daisuke, Gaara, and Temari ran to Izuka's room. The three walked into the room to see that everything was normal.

"There they are." said Temari as she pointed to the scroll and chain whip lying on the dresser. "Daisuke, do you're thing."

"Right!" said Daisuke as he walked over to the dresser. Blue chakra started to envelop his right palm. He let his hand hover over the scroll and chain whip. Suddenly, an electric barrier appeared around the whip and scroll. Daisuke held his left hand in a hand sign. Suddenly, the white electricity was sucked into his right hand. As soon as everything was done, the chakra disappeared and Daisuke took a seat.

"The coast is clear." said Daisuke with a sigh.

Gaara instantly walked over to the dresser and grabbed his scroll and Izuka's chain whip. He unsealed his second gourd, which looked exactly like his first one, and placed it on his back. He put Izuka's chain whip in his ninja pack.

Temari walked over to Daisuke.

"Are you going to be okay?' she asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine. Using sealing techniques really tires me out, that's all." said Daisuke as he stood up.

"Right now, we should get going. We don't have much time to lose." said Gaara as he walked out the door.

"Yes sir!" exclaimed Daisuke and Temari as they followed the redhead out of the suite.

"I see you got the stuff!" said Kankuro as he ran for the main elevator with the others. "But what do we do when we get to the second floor? We can't just barge into the hall! There's going to be guards guarding the whole shindig."

"Kankuro does have a point!" exclaimed Ryu as she flew into the elevator while the others ran in.

"You're right. If we want to keep the element of surprise on our side, we're going to need to stop on a floor close to the second. The third or fourth floors should be good enough." said Temari as she placed her hand on her chin.

Gaara nodded and pressed the button for the third floor.

"Talk with Izuka again to see what's going on in the main hall right now." commanded Temari as she looked at Gaara.

"You don't have to tell me twice." said a sarcastic Gaara as he closed his eyes.

"_Izuka, are you there?"_ asked Gaara.

"_I'm still here."_ answered Izuka.

"_What's going on in the main hall right now?" _asked Gaara in a serious tone.

"_Nothing of importance right this minute, but Seiriyu is planning to make a big speech in front of everyone real soon. Do you need to know anything else?" _asked Izuka.

"_That's all for now. We're on our way down right now, so just act like nothing is going to happen, okay?"_ asked Gaara.

"_Copy that."_ answered Izuka before signing off.

Gaara opened his eyes and looked at the others. "Seiriyu's going to make a speech in the next few minutes."

"Then we better not be late for that." said Temari in a sarcastic tone.

The elevator stopped at the third floor and let them out. Since the hallway was completely empty, the group ran through the hallway until they reached its end. The hallway opened into a small balcony that went around the main hall. Everyone knelt behind the balcony wall.

"Oh my Kami; look at all the food!" exclaimed Kankuro in a hushed tone.

Everyone gave him incredulous looks.

"What? I haven't had a decent meal for the past few days. I can't help myself!" responded Kankuro.

"Let's get back to the real task at hand shall we?" asked Temari with a stern look.

Kankuro nervously shook his head yes.

"Good; wherever Izuka is, Seiriyu is probably not far behind her. Find him and we'll find Izuka." said Temari as she started to scan the room.

"Found her!" exclaimed Ryu.

Everyone gave her stunned looks.

"How Ryu? There has to be hundreds of people in the room. How did you find her?" asked Daisuke as he gave the dragon a curious stare.

"I just looked for the largest table in the room. In these kinds of events, the largest tables are where the most important people sit at. Besides, the largest table in the room is on an elevated platform so it wasn't that hard to spot." replied Ryu as she pointed to said table.

The Sand Siblings' and the advisor all followed Ryu's gaze to the largest table in the room. Seated at the middle of the table was Seiriyu. Izuka and Mioka were sitting on his left while the Rain Daimyo and his advisors were sitting on his right. The other people sitting at the table were high ranking nobles that were lucky to snag a seat at the table.

Everyone at the table seemed to be having a splendid time, except Izuka, who was wearing a completely blank expression on her face.

"At least we know that Izuka is definitely not having fun at this event." said Kankuro sarcastically as he looked away from the table to look at his fellow ninjas.

"How are we going to get Izuka out of this? We still have those seals on Izuka's wrists to consider." said Ryu as she crossed her paws.

"I'm still working on that." said Temari with a sheepish smirk.

"Hey guys, Seiriyu looks like he's about to say something." said Daisuke as he brought his attention to the dance floor.

The others turned to see standing alone in the middle of the dance floor with a microphone.

"I hope everyone is enjoying themselves tonight, because tonight is a night of celebration!" exclaimed Seiriyu into the microphone he held in his hands.

Everyone applauded the dictator and even egged him on to speak further.

"A few days ago, I made a promise to myself that I would defeat the Kazekage of Sunagakure in a duel in order to pave the way for a new era for Amegakure. My fellow citizens, that promise has been fulfilled."

Cheers echoed throughout the room as the patrons clapped for their dictator. Gaara was getting more and more annoyed by the minute.

"Now, now; I didn't actually kill the man. I left him on the brink of death. If he has survived his wounds, he would still be too weak to beat me. Plus, he would be too late to stop the planned invasion of his village because we leave for Suna tomorrow at noon!" exclaimed Seiriyu.

"WHAT!" screamed Kankuro at the top of his lungs before hiding behind the railing. Everyone in the room looked up and turned to find where the sound came from.

"Really Kankuro?" asked Temari in an incredulous, but hushed tone.

"I couldn't help myself." said Kankuro apologetically. Gaara, Daisuke, and Ryu gave the puppeteer disapproving nods of their heads.

"Well, well; looks like we have some uninvited guests here with us tonight everyone!" said Seiriyu with a chuckle as he turned to the balcony.

"Kankuro; I at least know that you and Temari are both up there. You don't need to hide from me. Show yourselves." commanded Seiriyu.

"How does he know?" asked Temari.

"What should we do?' asked Kankuro.

"Better not make him mad." said Temari as she stood up to reveal herself.

Kankuro just sighed in defeat and stood up from his position on the ground.

"Everyone; I would like for you all to meet Kankuro and Temari. These two are the Kazekage's elder siblings." said Seiriyu as he gestured to the two on the balcony.

The reaction from the guests was mostly negative. Some even went as far as throwing food at them. Izuka only shook her head.

"I have a feeling that you two didn't come alone. Is that advisor and that dragon with you too?' asked Seiriyu.

"Should we?" asked Ryu as she turned to Daisuke.

"You should." answered Gaara.

"Really?' asked Daisuke as he looked at the Kazekage.

"This is one of Seiriyu's ploys to lure us out. If we don't comply with what he asks, my best guess is he's going to shock Izuka." answered Gaara who was looking through a small hole in the wall at the blonde girl. Instinctively, Izuka was looking straight at him.

"Okay then." answered Ryu as she flew into view. She earned some stunned stares and whispers of surprise since most of the guests never saw a living dragon till now.

Daisuke soon joined her. He got booed too.

"Now, there is one more person missing from this little party. Where's your little brother Kankuro-kun, Temari-chan?" asked Seiriyu with a smirk.

Temari and Kankuro didn't answer him. Gaara didn't move from his spot.

"C'mon Gaara-san; we all know you're here. Just reveal yourself. It will make it easier for everyone, especially your girlfriend over here." said Seiriyu as he pointed at Izuka.

The guests started to whisper among themselves in anticipation.

Gaara still didn't move.

"Gaara, what are you waiting for?" whispered Temari through clenched teeth.

"If you don't show yourself, Izuka's going to get shocked. You of all people should know that." whispered Ryu.

Gaara glanced at the others, and then back at Izuka, before sighing in defeat and standing up. The guests let out gasps of shock and surprise. Since they all knew about Seiriyu's reputation, they figured that if the Kazekage wasn't dead, he would be seriously wounded for weeks. But there he was looking relatively fine, standing on the balcony.

"What took so long huh? Thought I was bluffing on my threat?" said Seiriyu with a smirk as he eyed the Kazekage.

Gaara said absolutely nothing, but stared coldly at the dictator.

"There's one thing you should know about me Gaara-san. I never bluff." said Seiriyu coldly as he snapped his fingers.

Izuka screamed in pain as the black lightning appeared from the kanji seals on her wrists and started to envelop her body.

"Izuka!" yelled Kankuro as Temari, Ryu, and Daisuke looked on in horror.

The guests also had horrified expressions on their faces as they witnessed the Sage of the Sixth Paths get the life shocked out of her.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" yelled Gaara in anger as he jumped from the railing and onto the dance floor to face the dictator. Temari, Kankuro, Ryu, and Daisuke followed his lead and jumped from the railing as well.

As soon as the group converged on the ground level of the hall, Seiriyu snapped his fingers again, this time to stop the attack on Izuka.

Izuka breathed heavily as the lightning returned to the kanji seals around her wrists.

"Are you alright?" asked Mioka worriedly who was standing over her concerned. Mioka had her hair down and was wearing a silver kimono.

"I'll be fine after a few minutes." said Izuka as she sat back up in her chair. The Rain Daimyo smirked at her.

"You are very resilient, Lady Sage. Must really help to have eight tailed beasts sealed within you." commented the Daimyo as he turned to face the dance floor.

Izuka only looked at him coldly before returning her gaze to the dance floor as well.

Seiriyu let out a small chuckle before addressing the small group in front of him.

"Well, well, glad you could join us." he said with a smile as he gestured to the guests around him.

"Stop your invasion and let the Lady Sage go!" exclaimed Gaara as he continued to stare at the dictator with cold eyes.

Whispers began to echo throughout the room as the Kazekage made his declaration.

Seiriyu let out a chuckle before replying. "You can't be serious! You actually have the audacity to come in the condition you're in and demand that I stop the invasion and let your girlfriend go? That's rich!"

Gaara let a scowl on his face deepen as he stared down the dictator. The Rain Daimyo soon stood up and clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention.

"It's noble that you came here in your most likely injured state, but face the facts Kazekage-san. You lost to Dictator Seiriyu, plain and simple. The invasion of Sunagakure will go as planned and the Lady Sage will remain here in Amegakure, even if she has to stay here as a prisoner of war."

"That's not right!" exclaimed Temari as she stepped from the group. "Your reasons for invading Suna are baseless and you can't keep a person here against their will!"

"Sorry, but a duel's a duel." said the Rain Daimyo as he shrugged and sat back down.

"You people are just sick!" exclaimed Kankuro as he started to let his emotions boil over.

"I suggest you watch your tongue Kankuro-kun or else the Lady Sage gets shocked for your ignorance and impatience." threatened Seiriyu as he lifted up his palm, ready to snap his fingers again.

"It's no use if you do it a third time." said Gaara as he crossed his arms.

"Oh really? And why would you say that?" asked Seiriyu as he looked at him with a smirk.

"Cause you acted so cocky and sure of yourself that you never realized that Ryu made herself invisible and silently slithered over to Izuka to undo the seals that you placed on her wrists." said Gaara with a smirk.

The guests gasped and whispered amongst themselves at this new development. The Rain Daimyo and his two advisors looked on in shock. And Seiriyu jusi looked at Gaara with a full on furious glare.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!" yelled Seiriyu in complete rage. He turned around to see that what Gaara said was true. Izuka was standing up showing that her wrists were free from the seals while Ryu was standing on the table next to her smirking at the dictator.

"You fucking little weasel!" exclaimed Seiriyu in anger.

"I'm a dragon, you fucking little idiot!" exclaimed Ryu as a reply.

That got her a few chuckles from the guests, especially Kankuro, who laughed his ass off at the remark. Seiriyu let out a roar of anger and fired some black lightning bolts at Izuka and Ryu, but they had a knew it was coming. They quickly jumped out of the way and leapt over Seiriyu to join Gaara and the others.

"Excellent work Ryu!" exclaimed Daisuke as he looked at the dragon now crouched on Izuka's shoulders.

"Why thank you Daisuke. I try my best." said Ryu with a nod of her head.

Gaara moved his attention from the seething dictator to his girlfriend now standing by his side.

"How are you feeling?" asked Gaara in a stern voice, but he let the worry show in his eyes.

"Better now that those evil seals Seiriyu placed on me are finally off my wrists!" exclaimed Izuka in a slightly pissed off tone as she looked at the redhead.

Gaara let out a smirk and reached into his ninja pack. He took out Izuka's chain whip and held it out to her.

"I believe this belongs to you Lady Sage." said Gaara with a slight bow.

Izuka let out a smirk of her own and took the chain whip from his outstretched hand. "Why thank you Kazekage-san." Izuka then proceeded to wrap the chain around her waist.

The small comforting scene was pushing Seiriyu over the age.

"GUARDS!" he yelled.

The guards answered his call instantly. They entered from all exits within the hall and started to surround Gaara, Izuka, and the rest of their group. The guests started to get worried and more unsure by the second.

"There must be hundreds of them. We're definitely not going to get out of this easily." commented Temari as she looked around.

"Is it ever easy sis?" asked Kankuro as he took a fighting stance, unsealing Sasori as he did.

"You make a good point." said Temari as she opened her fan.

"Point to Kankuro." said Ryu as she started to grow in size.

Daisuke only nodded his head as he too took a fighting stance.

Gaara looked over at Izuka and raised an invisible eyebrow. "What element form are you going to use this time?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Considering the fact that you may still not be at full strength, you may need someone to watch your back." said Izuka as she looked at him while showing him a yellow jewel she just clipped off her chain whip.

Gaara smirked and brought his attention to Seiriyu. "Be my guest."

Izuka channeled some yellow colored chakra into the jewel and dropped it to the ground. The jewel then exploded with the yellow chakra and started to envelop Izuka's body. Soon, the chakra dissipated and revealed that Izuka had gone through another one of her elemental transformations.

"Judging from your weapon, Lady Sage, I'm guessing that this must be your sand form." said Seiriyu with a snarl.

Izuka's kimono was replaced by a loose sunny yellow crop top that had an eight pointed star on the front and black tights that went down to mid-shin. She was also wearing her usual heeled sandals and fingerless gloves and her chain whip was as usual wrapped around her waistline. Her long hair had woven itself into a faux hawk, her eyes were as yellow as her shirt, and her amulet transformed from its usual purple flower form into a yellow medallion designed to look like a scene from the desert. A sand gourd that was slightly smaller than Gaara's was strapped to her back.

Izuka only stared at Seiriyu. The audience could only stare in astonishment at the Lady Sage.

"Kill the Sand Shinobi and the dragon, but leave the Lady Sage alive. I'll deal her with her myself!" commanded Seiriyu as he looked at his guards.

The guards nodded their heads and readied their various weapons. Izuka turned to the group.

"How about we give these people a show?" asked Izuka as she placed her hands on her sides.

Daisuke, Ryu, Kankuro, and Temari all exclaimed their yeses in an instant. Gaara smirked and stared straight at Seiriyu.

"You just read my mind Izuka. Or whatever you go by in this form." said Gaara in a plain tone.

"I like to go by the name Sandeya while I'm in this form if you don't mind." answered Izuka as she too faced Seiriyu.

"Okay then Sandeya. Watch my back cause me and Seiriyu have some unfinished business to attend to." said Gaara as he commanded his sand to rush out of his gourd.

Let the battle begin.

End of chapter 30

**A/N: Please review!**

**Birthday Reminders**

**Yesterday was Bleach's own Byakuya Kuchiki's birthday, January 31.**

**Today is Bleach's own Lisa Yadomaru's birthday, February 1.**


	31. More Answers and Info

Chapter 31: More Answers and Info

Gaara's sand gushed out of its gourd and started to flood the dance floor. Seiriyu's guards ran straight for the group, but were easily thrown back into the nearby walls by Gaara's sand.

"Stop having all the fun Gaara!" whined Temari as she held out her fan. "I want to have a little fun too."

She swung her fan and created a large gust of wind that blew some of the guards right into some of the dinner tables, scaring away some of the banquet patrons from the scene.

"Leave some for me sis!" exclaimed Kankuro as he released a blast of kunai from one of Sasori's many compartments. The kunai landed a direct hit on a few other guards injuring them instantly.

"Hey Ryu, let's take this battle to the skies shall we?" asked Daisuke as he looked at the dragon.

"I thought you'd never ask." said Ryu. She quickly grew to her actual form and started to float into the air. Daisuke quickly jumped onto the dragon's back. The two of them then proceeded to fight the guards that were swarming the balconies.

Seiriyu took the ongoing carnage as his opportunity to leave the hall. He swiftly made his way to the door.

"He's trying to leave unnoticed. If he gets outside, then our sand will be useless." exclaimed Sandeya/Izuka as she pointed to the fleeing teenager.

"He's not going to get far! Let's go Sandeya." commanded Gaara as he ran after the dictator.

"Yes sir!" responded Izuka as she ran after the redhead.

Seiriyu ran out of the hall and into a nearby staircase. Izuka and Gaara kept pace with him and followed after him step by step.

"Why don't you just give up!" yelled Seiriyu as he threw a few kunai that were connected to paper bombs at the two.

Izuka and Gaara both raised their hands. Their sand moved with the movement of their hands and blocked the paper bombs before they detonated above them. The smoke cleared to reveal that the staircase was heavily damaged and that Seiriyu was no longer in the staircase.

"Where did he go?" asked Gaara in agitation as he looked around the damaged stairwell.

Izuka used her acute sense of smell and sniffed the air.

"The smoke is definitely masking his scent, but I can still track him. Follow me." said Izuka as she ran up the wall where part of the staircase used to be.

Gaara followed her lead and ran up the stairs after her. They never stopped until they reached the 45th floor of the tower. They ran out the staircase and into a darkened hallway littered with dead guards.

"Sandeya?" questioned Gaara as he looked at Izuka as she crouched down to the nearest dead guard.

"Judging by the smell of their blood and the fact the wounds are fresh, I can only guess that Seiriyu killed his own men just a few minutes ago." said Izuka as she stood back up.

"Why in the world would he do that?" asked Gaara as he looked down into the dark hallway. The sound of lightning from outside the building signaled that the rain had started up again.

"Who knows, but I'm guessing we're going to find out soon enough." said Izuka as she started to run down the hallway. Gaara followed right after her.

The two ran down the darkened hallway, passing more dead guards as they went, until they ran into a large dark room that appeared to be Seiriyu's personal training grounds.

"His scent ends here." said Izuka as she turned to face the redhead.

"And this is the end of the road for you Gaara-san." said Seiriyu as he walked out of the shadows. He clapped his hands to turn on the lights, revealing that the room was indeed a kind of gym.

"Just give up Seiriyu. Things don't have to be this way." said Gaara in a stern voice as he stared down the dictator.

"Of course it does after what your father did to my clan. I'm not letting their deaths be in vain." cried Seiriyu as he revealed his black katana.

"You are letting painful memories of your past cloud your judgment. If you keep doing this to yourself, you're just going to live a life of suffering." said Izuka as she looked at Seiriyu with stern eyes.

"Why should you speak like that Lady Sage? Because of the fact you are a jinchuriki and Gaara here used to be one, you both lived lives of pain and suffering, yet you still don't understand." cried Seiriyu with a grimace.

"But we do. We just haven't let it continue to cloud our judgment and control our lives." said Gaara as he crossed his arms.

"It may not continue to control your life Gaara, but I bet Izuka still has those painful thoughts linger in her mind to this day. Especially the one where her two teammates were killed during her relocation to Suna." said Seiriyu with a smirk.

Gaara's eyes instantly went to Izuka, whose back stiffened at the mere mention of her teammates.

"How the hell do you know about that?" asked Izuka slowly through clenched teeth as she looked at the ground.

"I was visited by your old sensei just a few weeks ago. Don't bother looking for the man here in the Rain country because he's probably long gone by now." said Seiriyu with a smirk as he crossed his arms.

"Why was he here?" asked Gaara a tad curiously as he looked at the dictator.

"He wanted to seek asylum here in the Rain Nation. I told him that he was just a wanted man here as he is in the Five Great Shinobi Nations. I let him stay here hidden in my tower for a week in order to rest and get supplies and during that time we talked." said Seiriyu with a shrug.

"If he's a wanted man here just like he is in the Five Great Shinobi Nations, then why did you let him stay here in your tower instead of having him arrested?" asked Gaara in a slightly commanding tone.

"He told me that he used to be Izuka-san's sensei and from there I was hooked. He told me everything about her that I wanted to know about and in return I told him all about what happened to her during the war." answered Seiriyu as he twirled his katana between his fingers.

"Why do you sound like you've had an interest in me for a long time?" asked Izuka as she looked at the dictator.

"Cause I have had an interest in you for a long time now. You see, before my clan was killed by Suna ANBU, my family collected and kept their own files on their old village and their certain "interests"." said Seiriyu with a smirk.

"Interests?" asked Izuka with uncertainty laced throughout her voice.

"Indeed. You were relocated to Sunagakure as part of the treaty between Suna and Konohagakure, but after looking through the old files one night, I discovered that Gaara's father had a very big interest in you." said Seiriyu as he pointed his katana at Izuka.

"He only had an interest in her because she is a jinchuriki like I used to be." said Gaara through slightly clenched teeth.

Izuka turned to Gaara with a slightly mixed expression before turning to Seiriyu.

"The most powerful one there is. The 10 tailed bat-dragon Ryuna is very picky when it comes to her hosts. Before you Izuka-san, there was only one other 10 tailed jinchuriki in shinobi history, and she was a very big target during her time. People have been sent out as offerings to the dragon after her first host passed on, but Ryuna never could be sealed within any of them. Apparently, you need to possess a very specific gene in order to be the 10 tailed jinchuriki, and when the Yondaime Kazekage found out that Ryuna accepted you as her new host, he wanted to find out why." explained Seiriyu as he cocked his head to the side.

"I have a special gene?" asked Izuka as she raised an eyebrow at the dictator.

"Indeed; I believe the Yondaime Kazekage wanted to capture you in order to cultivate the gene for the sake of his village, but alas, he never got a chance to since he was killed by Orochimaru before he could accomplish his goal." said Seiriyu with a sigh. "Well at least one good thing happened to you in midst of this plan, you met your future boyfriend."

"Gaara, is this true?" asked Izuka as she looked at the redhead. He looked her straight in the eyes before answering.

"When my father told my siblings and I the details of our mission to Konoha three years ago to infiltrate the Chunnin Exams as part of the foiled Suna Invasion, he told us that one of our main objectives in the mission was to capture you. He told us that you were a jinchuriki and that you would serve a specific purpose for the sake of Suna once we captured you. I never knew that my father's reason for wanting to capture you was for your DNA." said Gaara as he looked at the dictator with disgust in his eyes.

"I believe he was going to cultivate the gene to see if your DNA was the key to being the jinchuriki for other tailed beasts at the same time. And what do you know? His hypothesis came true and we have a new Sage of the Sixth Paths here with us today in present day, the second in history." said Seiriyu as he moved his arms with emphasis.

"He was planning to create an ultimate host who would be able to hold all the tailed beasts at one time." Izuka concluded as she crossed her arms.

"Exactly Lady Sage, but what was the point? There is already one naturally ultimate host in the world today and that my dear is you." said Seiriyu as he pointed at Izuka with his katana again. "And after tonight, you will come back into my possession."

"Like hell I'm going to let you do that!" said Gaara in seething anger as he took a step forward.

"Why do you bother Gaara? I already have absorbed some of your chakra, giving me the advantage of knowing your abilities. All I need to do now is absorb the Lady Sage's chakra. That way the seal that holds the tailed beasts within you will weaken and I would be able to free them, causing utter chaos around the shinobi lands." cackled Seiriyu in menacing laughter.

"And how do you think you will be able to control them?" asked Izuka with a scowl. "I've actually created some friendly relationships with most of them and one thing is for sure, they will not serve you willingly."

"That my dear, I will keep top secret. Now get ready. It's time to fight!" exclaimed Seiriyu as his katana shone in the light.

"Ready Sandeya?" asked Gaara as he looked at his girlfriend with slight concern evident in his eyes.

"Definitely!" exclaimed Izuka as her face went into a neutral expression that was borderline unreadable.

Gaara nodded and turned towards the dictator.

The calm was over. Here comes the storm.

End of chapter 31

**A/N: Please review**

**Birthday Reminders**

**February 15: Tayuya's Birthday (Naruto)**

**February 17: Cyan Sun Sung's Birthday (Bleach)**

**February 18: Suigetsu's birthday (Naruto)**


	32. The Tide Shifts

Chapter 32: The Tide Shifts

Seiriyu lunged at Gaara and Izuka, his katana shining mischievously in the dim light. Gaara used some of his sand to block the attack and swiftly leapt across the room before Seiriyu could make a swing for his neck.

Seiriyu soon turned his attention to Izuka. He swung his sword at her midsection, but her sand easily blocked it. That's when her eyes widened in realization. She sent a gush of sand from her sand barrier right at Seiriyu, but he jumped out of the way before it connected. Izuka took that as her chance to run over to Gaara's side.

"I almost forgot that he could easily absorb my chakra just by touching my sand." said Izuka with an agitated snarl, which made Seiriyu smirk with a little joy.

"You really need to look out for that. How do we fight a guy who will basically act like a leech if he touches us?" asked Gaara as he turned to her.

"We use the one thing he can't touch, the wind." said Izuka as she unhooked a gray jewel from her chain whip. She threw the jewel up in the air and did a jutsu underneath it.

"Element Style; Wind Shift Jutsu!" exclaimed Izuka as she did the last hand sign of the jutsu.

Gray chakra quickly enveloped her body and soon disappeared as soon as it reappeared. Izuka's hair was out of its faux hawk and now fell straight down her back. She now wore a gray hooded crop top with loose sleeves and a vertical stripe that went down the middle, black shorts, her chain whip, and heeled sandals. Her eyes were gray in color and her amulet had changed its shape into a large stretched out S with two smaller s's connected to either side of it. She caught the fan that appeared from the jewel in midair.

"Beautiful as always." commented Seiriyu as he smirked at her. Gaara's frown just deepened.

"In this form you go by the name Kazera right?" Seiriyu asked with a curious look.

Izuka never answered, which made Seiriyu's blood boil and a vein to appear on his forehead.

"ANSWER ME!" yelled Seiriyu in frustration as he ran straight for the Sage.

As the dictator was five feet in front of her, Izuka let out a small smirk and raised her fan, creating a large wind gust that blew Seiriyu straight across the room and into the wall.

"Well played. You took a risk in hoping that Seiriyu would react to you not answering him and when he did react, you took it as your move to strike." said Gaara with a knowing look to the Sage.

"Exactly." said Izuka in a tone that was slightly cheery.

"What you just said didn't sound like you." commented Gaara as he gave Izuka a weird look.

"When the tailed beasts were sealed within me during the war a few months ago, each of the beasts were sealed with a different element seal, which all make up the large one on my stomach when I'm in my original form. Right?"

"Right!" said Gaara a tad confused.

"The seal that is used for Shukaku is the Wind Seal. It's the only seal that appears on my stomach when I'm in this form." said Izuka as she turned to face the redhead.

Gaara looked down to Izuka's bare stomach, where the same three stretched out S's that were the current design of her amulet appeared with a ring of kanji's around it and the wind kanji appearing above the ring.

"That's Shukaku's seal?" asked Gaara slightly dumbfounded as he pointed to the seal.

"Yep!" said Izuka as she closed her eyes as she concentrated on making the seal disappear. When she opened her eyes, it was gone. "When I'm in anyone of my element forms that uses one of the element seals, only one seal will show while the others remain protected. In this form, Seiriyu only has a chance of releasing Shukaku. All the other beasts are safe."

"What about when you are in your original form? You know, when all the seals come together?" asked Gaara as he scratched his hair.

"There's a defensive seal that shocks anybody I deem as an enemy if they try to touch it interwoven with the seal." explained Izuka as she turned her attention to Seiriyu.

"You think of everything don't you?" asked Gaara as he let out a small smirk.

"I know. I will warn you about one thing Gaara. In this form, Shukaku has the most influence over me than the other tailed beasts, even over Ryuna. If my chakra level gets too weak, it will be Shukaku's best chance to take over." said Izuka with an unsure look on her face.

"I understand completely. I used to be his jinchuriki before you, remember?" asked Gaara as he crossed his arms.

"I remember. It's been a while hasn't it?" asked Izuka as she opened her fan to its full width.

Before Gaara could answer, Seiriyu launched his Dark Gravity attack at the two. They both jumped out of the way before the attack could hit.

"You two are really getting on my last nerves!" exclaimed Seiriyu as he dusted his clothes with his hand.

Gaara turned to Izuka. "You have another wind gust in you?"

"Plenty!" exclaimed Izuka as she launched another wind gust at the dictator, much more powerful than the first one.

The walls were scratched as the wind blew around in all directions within the gym. Seiriyu was actually blown through the wall this time and landed in the next room, which was another gym. Gaara and Izuka quickly ran after him.

"You guys really want to die don't you?" asked a seething Seiriyu as he got up from the pile of rubble at his feet.

"Just give up Seiriyu. Things don't have to be this way!" exclaimed Izuka as she and Gaara ran into the second gym.

"Oh yes it does Lady Sage! I want my revenge for what Gaara's father did to my clan!" exclaimed Seiriyu as he pointed his katana directly at Gaara's face.

"Izuka, there is no use in talking to him. He's succumbed to his lust for revenge." said Gaara with a snarl.

Izuka let out a sigh of defeat. "I guess you're right. We're going to have to end this."

"Me and Gaara will end this, Lady Sage-san. You, my dear, can sit this one out. Besides I have a surprise for you." said Seiriyu with a snap of his fingers.

"Surprise?" questioned Izuka as she turned around, sensing a new danger right behind her. Out from the shadows appeared a young boy that looked like a plain civilian in his navy blue pants and gray shirt. His long brown hir fell disheveled down his back.

"Seiriyu, what's with the little boy?" asked Gaara in agitation. He really wasn't in the mood for his games.

"I thought while you and me would continue where we left off from our last battle, Izuka could move her attention to her new playmate that I brought up for her." said Seiriyu with a smirk.

"Playmate?" asked Izuka as she turned around to have a bolt of white lightning strike her straight through her stomach.

"Izuka!" yelled Gaara in alarm as he looked at the lightning that was sticking out from her body. His eyes followed the lightning's trajectory to see that it was being held onto by a little girl that looked similar to the little boy.

"What the hell! Who is she?" asked Gaara as he pointed to the girl.

"And why is she here?" asked Izuka as she coughed up blood.

"She is Aki. The boy behind you two is her twin brother Maki. I call them the Lightning Twins. They come from a clan whose kekkai genkai is entirely based on their connection to lightning and their abilities to use lightning jutsus that others cannot use. They are my students; well trained ones if you ask me." said Seiriyu as he let his sadistic smirk show on his lips.

He snapped his fingers, which let Aki know that she needed to remove the lightning from Izuka. With a gut wrenching tug, Aki removed the lightning bolt from Izuka's stomach, letting the blood pool out from the wound. Izuka stumbled for a second before falling to her knees, clutching her wounded stomach. Gaara fell to his knees right next to Izuka and rested his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you going to be alright?" Gaara whispered worriedly into Izuka's ear.

"I'll be fine." said Izuka as she wiped the blood from her mouth. "But it is going to take me a while to fully heal the wound."

Gaara looked down to Izuka's stomach to see green healing chakra was emanating from her hand, healing her wound.

"_We_ _need_ _to_ _buy_ _some_ _time_ _so_ _your_ _wound_ _can_ _heal_." thought Gaara as he turned to face Seiriyu.

"_And how do you suppose we do that?"_ thought Izuka as looked at the Lightning Twins before facing Seiriyu once more.

Gaara let out a smirk.

"What's with the smirk Kazekage-san?" asked Seiriyu in a curious tone.

"Oh, nothing. SANDSTORM!" yelled Gaara as he clasped his hands together.

Sand gushed everywhere around the room creating a mini sandstorm that completely clouded everyone's vision. After a few minutes, the sand cleared up to reveal that Izuka and Gaara was nowhere to be found.

"Very wise of you to escape, Gaara, Izuka. Aki and Maki, find them and bring them back to me! We have unfinished business with the two of them." said Seiriyu with a smirk.

"Yes sir!" yelled the two glum looking children as they fled from the room.

The hunt was officially on.

End of Chapter 32

**A/N: Please review**

**I added twins. Aki and Maki are just minor characters for now. What will happen next? Read and find out.**


	33. Bloodlust

Chapter 33: Bloodlust

The sand storm that Gaara created was merely a distraction as Gaara used some other sand to transport Izuka and himself away from Seiriyu and the Lightning Twins. The current of sand did not stop moving till it reached the door of one of the old guest rooms on the 45th floor of the tower. The sand released their hold on the Kazekage and Lady Sage before returning itself back into Gaara's gourd.

"We'll hide out in here." said Gaara as he turned the doorknob, quickly finding out that the door was unlocked.

The two entered the room and closed the door behind them and after doing a quick observation of their surroundings, soon found out that the room looked exactly the same as their old guest room.

"Well isn't this a case of déjà vu?" asked Gaara as he began to walk further into the room, taking his gourd off and setting it aside in the process.

"Apparently, the interior designers didn't want to waste time designing for every single room in this huge building." commented Izuka as she walked over to the white sofa in the living room and sat down, placing her fan on the sofa's side.

Gaara walked over and sat down next to the injured girl.

"How are you feeling?" asked Gaara in a worried tone as he continued to watch Izuka perform a self-inflicted healing session.

"Better; I almost have this wound completely healed and I didn't need to use that much chakra to do it." said Izuka as she wiped some blood from her chin.

"That's good to know." said Gaara as he glanced over at the door. He turned back to Izuka, who had her free hand placed over her neck and was looking absentmindedly at the table.

"Something wrong?" asked Gaara as he placed a concerned hand on her shoulder.

"Ryuna wants me to feed." said Izuka as she did not avert her gaze from the coffee table.

The line stopped Gaara dead in his tracks.

"What?" asked Gaara, who couldn't utter another word.

"Ryuna wants me to feed on 's that time of month for me." said Izuka as she stared at the door.

"Of all the times you need to feed, why now?" asked Gaara in a slightly agitated tone.

"I haven't fed yet this month and injuries rush my hunger." answered Izuka in an annoyed tone of her own as she looked at her wound.

"Well, there aren't any wild animals around and I doubt Ryu would let you feed from her." muttered Gaara to himself.

"Don't bring Ryu into this." said Izuka coldly as she looked out the window.

"Sorry." mumbled Gaara as he observed Izuka, whose breathing started to become ragged.

"How bad is it?" asked Gaara after a few tense seconds passed.

"It's practically the one drawback of being the 10-tailed jinchuriki Gaara." said Izuka in a tired voice as she finished healing her wound, leaving a small pink scar in its place.

"I figured there would be more." commented Gaara as he took Izuka's hand in his. "Tell me."

"Being a jinchuriki is never easy, especially if you're the 10 tailed jinchuriki. It's true that there was only one other person who was the 10-tailed jinchuriki before me, but just like me, that person had to pay a price." said Izuka as she looked at hers and Gaara's conjoined hands.

"Bloodlust." answered Gaara when Izuka stopped talking.

"Yeah, that's it, bloodlust. Ryuna is a creature who is half bat and half Chinese dragon, and like all bats and bat like creatures, we must feed on blood to survive. Ryuna is able to nourish her blood craving through me." continued Izuka as she looked at the wall.

"By making you feed on blood every month." suggested Gaara as he fixed a loose strand of Izuka's hair behind her ear.

"Exactly; Ryuna isn't just half bat. She's half vampire bat. Once you become the 10 tailed jinchuriki, you become more vampire-like yourself." explained Izuka as she looked at Gaara's neutral expression while holding her rosary in her free hand.

Gaara nodded his head in understanding and silently gestured for her to continue.

"This rosary connected to my amulet keeps the vampire side of me sealed away. I've went into that form a few times and you've seen what I can do when I'm in that form." said Izuka with a sheepish grin, which Gaara soon returned.

The last time that Gaara saw Izuka go vampire was during the last war when the seal that sealed the other tailed beasts within her was performed on her. The few times she went vampire before that are some of the few memories that he just couldn't forget.

"Izuka, what would happen if you didn't feed regularly?" asked a reluctant Gaara, who was slightly nervous to hear the answer.

"I've wondered that myself. I asked Ryuna during one of my mental conversation with her and she told me that if I didn't feed on time, then my body and mind would become weaker and weaker until I fall into a vegetative state." said Izuka glumly as she rubbed her neck while looking at the floor.

Gaara's eyes widened at the news and unintentionally started to squeeze Izuka's hand in surprise.

"Gaara, you're hurting my hand." replied Izuka in a deadpan as she looked at her now reddening hand.

"Sorry." mumbled Gaara as he let go of Izuka's hand and started to weave his fingers together. "I never knew things could be that bad for you. Have you told anybody else about this?"

"Nope; you're the first. Not even my brother Naruto knows about this." said Izuka as she rubbed her sore hand.

"I see." said Gaara as he looked out the window once again. "You still hungry?"

"The conversation has been a nice distraction, but to tell you to truth, I'm sorry to say that I'm actually starving." said Izuka with a slight chuckle.

"Have you ever tried feeding on human blood?" asked Gaara all of a sudden, which stopped Izuka in her tracks.

"No!" yelled Izuka almost immediately as she jumped out of her seat on the sofa and walked over to the window.

"Izuka?" questioned Gaara in surprise as he got up from his seat and followed after her.

"I know what you are going to say next Gaara. I'm not going to feed from you." said Izuka in absolute defiance as she continued to face the window.

"I'm only trying to help you." said Gaara in a sullen tone as he tried to place a comforting hand on Izuka's shoulder, but she shrugged it off.

"I've tried to do the human blood thing once and never worked out for me. I don't want to put myself through that again!" Izuka almost yelled as she looked straight out the window. The yelling only made Izuka cough hoarsely.

"Izuka?" asked Gaara in concern as he closed the distance between him and the girl and placed his hand on Izuka's shoulder, this time not being rebuffed.

"Just a side effect of me not feeding." said Izuka as she looked him the eyes.

"Izuka, animal blood isn't enough for you is it?" asked Gaara inquisitively. "You need human blood as well."

Izuka looked away from Gaara's concerned eyes, but Gaara placed a hand on her chin and brought her face back to face his.

"Tell me the truth, please?" asked Gaara in a concerned tone as he wrapped his arms around the girl.

"Fine, I can't lie to you Gaara. You have a right to know." said Izuka in a defeated tone. "To tell you the truth, I can live by both animal blood and human blood, but human blood will be the majority in my diet once I turn 18." said Izuka as she rested her head on Gaara's shoulder.

"Meaning?" asked Gaara, still slightly confused.

"Meaning while I can still drink animal blood throughout my life, human blood will need to be incorporated into my diet once it's my 18th birthday." explained Izuka as she looked at the ground.

"I see." said Gaara as he guided her back to the couch. "Maybe you should start now in order to get used to it."

"I should, but I just can't do it. It just makes me feel like a monster." said Izuka as she placed her hands on her lap as she sat.

"You are not a monster Izzy. You're a beautiful, intelligent, down-to-earth girl who is always there for others, including me." said Gaara with sincerity laced throughout his voice.

"Thank you Gaara." said Izuka with a blush evident across her face. "That means a lot to me."

"You're welcome. I just don't want to see you suffer through this blood craving you have." commented Gaara as he crossed his arms.

"Like you said before, there are no wild animals around here and Ryu definitely wouldn't let me feed from her." commented Izuka as she looked around the room.

"There is that other idea. If you are willing to." said Gaara shyly as he looked at the girl.

"I'm still not sure about taking your blood from you Gaara. I can severely weaken you and with Seiriyu and his Lighting Twins looking around for us, we need to be at our best to stop them." said Izuka as she looked at him nervously.

"I came here to face Seiriyu while not at a 100%, I think I can still manage." said Gaara with a smirk.

He grabbed Izuka's hand and pulled her over so that she was right next to him on the couch.

"Just this once?" whispered Gaara as he unzipped his coat to reveal his pale neck.

Izuka gave him a sheepish smirk and a nod of her head before answering. "Just this once." she whispered back to him.

Izuka leaned her head closer to Gaara's neck. Gaara felt a shiver go down his spine as Izuka's lips made contact with his cool neck. He held in a moan that threatened to escape his lips as he felt Izuka's teeth touch his neck. Izuka's fangs pierced his skin and punctured a vein in his neck, thus starting the blood sucking process.

"_Just think calm thoughts. The less you think about the pain, the less it will hurt."_ said Izuka as she placed her hand on the other side of Gaara's neck to give her a firm hold on his neck.

Gaara didn't respond, but did as he was told. Soon enough, he barely felt a thing but just a tiny sting on his neck.

After a minute had passed by in the suite, Izuka let go of her hold on Gaara and removed her fangs from the side. She kissed the puncture marks on his neck before returning to her original position on the couch. Gaara sat back up and placed a hand on his neck to feel no traces of the puncture marks that used to be on his neck.

"They disappeared? How?" he asked in disbelief.

"I'll keep that a secret for now. How are you feeling?' asked Izuka as she observed Gaara with a critical eye.

"A little nauseous, but I'll survive." said Gaara with a sigh. "You?"

"Actually, I've felt better than I have in years, thanks to you." said Izuka with a shy smile.

"That's good." said Gaara with a sigh. He soon grimaced and clutched his side.

"Are you okay?" asked Izuka in alarm as she placed a hand on Gaara's free hand.

"Like I said, I'm not 100%. My ribs may be bandaged up but they still hurt." said Gaara as he continued to grimace in pain.

"You must have been running high on adrenaline. Lie down and let me take a look at your injuries." commanded Izuka.

"Yes ma'am." said Gaara. He unzipped his vest and jacket and lay down on the couch so Izuka could examine him.

Izuka knelt before the couch and pooled some green healing chakra to her right hand. She moved her hand over Gaara's chest and abdomen to scan his injuries.

"Most of your wounds are healing pretty quickly, but there are at least two ribs that have some pretty large cracks in them." said Izuka as she began to heal him.

"You can tell all that by making your hand glow and hover over my chest? You really are gifted." joked Gaara. He soon winced in pain.

"Why thank you. Now stop chuckling or else you'll really crack a rib. We don't have much time." said Izuka as she gave Gaara a soft smile.

Gaara returned her smile with a smirk.

"As you wish Lady Sage. As you wish."

End of chapter 33

**A/N: I have a soft spot for vampires and bat like beasts. Please review. Seiriyu will be back starting next chapter. Along with the Lightning Twins.**

**Birthdays**

**March 9: Tenten (Naruto)**


	34. Mioka's Last Stand

Chapter 34: Mioka's Last Stand

"I'm finished." said Izuka as the green healing chakra evaporated from her hand. She had been healing Gaara's cracked ribs for the past twenty minutes in silence.

Gaara sat up and placed a hand on his chest before zipping his vest and jacket up.

"I feel good as new thanks to you." said Gaara with a smirk as he got up from his seat and walked over to his gourd.

"You're welcome." said Izuka as she grabbed her fan and ran straight to the front door. She opened the door just a crack and looked out into the dark hallway.

"I see no strange activity going in the hallway. I can't hear them and their scent is kind of old, so I'm guessing that they moved to another floor to look for us." called Izuka from the door.

"Ninja 101: When searching for your opponent, always check on the floor you last saw your opponent before moving on to another floor." mumbled Gaara as he walked over to Izuka.

"What now?" asked Izuka as she looked at the young Kazekage at her side.

"Let's get moving. Maybe we can surprise Seiriyu and his students." suggested Gaara.

"That way, we will have the upper hand. Good idea." added Izuka as she gently opened the door wider.

The two walked into the darkened hallway, void of any traces of Seiriyu and the Lightning Twins.

"This place is kind of spooky isn't it?" asked Izuka as the two walked down the hall.  
"Well, Daisuke did say the place have an "Addams Family" feel." added Gaara as he stole glances at the various paintings around the empty hallway.

The two walked until they reached a dead end at the end of the hall.

"Great, now what?" asked Izuka as she stared at the wall with a disgruntled expression on her face.

"Wait a second. Izuka, can you hear that?" asked Gaara as he turned around.

Izuka became quiet as she listened to the sounds of heels clicking and fabric swishing on the smooth floor heading their way.

"Heels?" asked Gaara as he looked down the empty hallway.

"The smell is getting stronger. . . is that you Mioka?" asked Izuka as she called down the hallway.

"Yes, it is me Lady Sage." answered Mioka as she walked out of the shadows with a solemn look on her face.

"What are you doing up here?" asked Gaara as he took a step forward to the secretary.

"I want to help you two. My cousin needs to be stopped." said Mioka in a strong tone. Her kimono was slightly tattered at its hem.

"Is this some kind of trick? Is Seiriyu using a genjutsu against us?" asked Izuka curiously, uncertainty evident across her face.

"I don't sense his chakra anywhere. You're telling the truth Mioka?" said Gaara. He said his question like a statement.

"Indeed I am. I'm not here to deceive you. I want to help you." said Mioka with conviction in her voice.

"Okay then. First things first, you know how to beat your cousin?" asked Izuka as she returned her fan to her side.

"There is a way to get pass the kekkai genkai both my cousin and I possess, but I don't know how much it will be able to help you." said Mioka as she looked at the wall.

"In our current situation, we'll take all the help we can get." said Gaara with a sheepish look on his face.

"I see. Follow me then." said Mioka as she turned around and walked down the hall.

Gaara and Izuka gave each other unsure looks before deciding to follow Mioka. The three walked into a nearby staircase and descended down the stairwell to the 35th floor of the tower. When they stepped onto the floor, Mioka led the Kazekage and Lady Sage through the darkened hallway to an ornate door with the wind kanji on the middle of it.

"Where are we?" asked Izuka as she observed Mioka take out a silver key from her kimono pocket.

"The floor we're on now is where all the records are kept." said Mioka as she put the key into the lock, turned it and unlocked the door.

"Records?" asked Gaara as he followed Izuka and Mioka inside.

"Indeed. Each room on the floor contains the records of a certain village. The room we're in right now is where Seiriyu and all the past dictators have kept records on the Land of Wind and its villages, especially Sunagakure." said Mioka as she clapped her hands, which was the command for the lights to turn on.

Gaara and Izuka looked around the lighted room to see shelves of scrolls containing all the info that Amegakure had on the Land of Wind.

"Wow; Amegakure's dictators really like to do their research." said Izuka as looked around the room.

"Seiriyu and the past dictators all share a common trait: they all research other countries seeing that they all viewed other nations as enemies. After the death of the Second Kazekage, research on Suna lessened until my cousin came to power. When Seiriyu took office, he increased the research efforts on the Land of Wind." said Mioka as she walked to the biggest shelf in the room.

"Especially on Sunagakure?" asked Gaara as he watched Mioka take a scroll from the large shelf.

"Especially on Sunagakure." concluded Mioka as she walked over to a small table in the middle of the room.

Mioka opened the scroll and stretched it out so that it covered the table from end to end.

"This scroll contains information on research that Suna has on my clan's kekkai genkai. Apparently, the Second Kazekage was able to find a weakness in our kekkai genkai when he faced off against the Kotowashi clan leader before the clan was exiled. " said Mioka with a glum look as she moved out of the way so that Gaara and Izuka could have a look at the scroll.

Gaara and Izuka both scanned through the scroll until their eyes widened at a small bit of information at the middle of the page.

"Shukaku?" they exclaimed as they looked at the scroll, and then at Mioka.

"Indeed; in the early years of my clan, the clan members worshipped the spirit of the one tailed tanuki and eventually learned his ways. They never learned how to control and manipulate sand like Shukaku, but they did learn something else from him, something bad."

"What did they learn?" asked Izuka as she raised an eyebrow at the secretary.

"They learned his mindset. They became as bloodthirsty as the beast himself and in time became the most ruthless clan in the desert. The First Kazekage of Sunagakure wanted my clan to join the village he was starting, not just because of their power, but to also watch over them so that they didn't make any trouble." said Mioka as she looked at the scroll on the table.

"Even the First Kazekage was unsure of your clan." said Gaara as he crossed his arms.

"Yes; my clan was one of the reasons that the First Kazekage sealed Shukaku away in the first place. When the Second Kazekage dueled the clan leader, he figured out that the kekkai genkai's weakness was connected to Shukaku." said Mioka as she closed the scroll.

"But the scroll doesn't even state what your kekkai genkai's weakness is!" exclaimed Izuka as Mioka put the scroll back on the shelf.

"No one in my clan, not even Seiriyu and me, know what our kekkai genkai's weakness is. When the Clan leader and the Second fought, they fought in an area that was closed to prying eyes. No one was allowed to come near the duel and no one knew who won until the Second walked out of the arena with the clan leader's blade in his hand, smeared with his blood." said Mioka as she crossed her arms.

"Basically, we're back to square one." said Gaara in slight agitation as the trio made their way back to the door.

"Not exactly." said Mioka as she stood in front of the door, blocking the exit.

"What do you mean Mioka?" asked Izuka, who was a tad confused.

"Shukaku's name is in that scroll for a reason. He's probably the key to finding the answers you're looking for." said Mioka as she pointed to Izuka's stomach.

"And that means if we're going to get our answers from him, then we need to speak to him." said Mioka, who had a weird glint in her eye.

Izuka and Gaara gave the secretary wide eyed looks before looking at each other with wide eyed looks. Soon, the whole room went dead silent and Izuka's ears perked up.

"MIOKA, MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" exclaimed Izuka, but it was too late, as a bolt of lightning went straight through the door and right through her chest.

Gaara and Izuka looked on in horror as the lightning bolt shined brightly from its position, sticking out of Mioka's ribcage. Mioka looked down at the lightning bolt before it retracted from her body and back through the door.

Mioka crumpled to the ground, clutching her wound. Gaara grabbed the secretary before she can even hit the ground though.

Gaara quickly carried the secretary bridal style over to the table with Izuka hot on his heels. He gently placed her onto the table and moved out of the way so that Izuka could tend to her wound.

"It's no use! She's as good as gone!" exclaimed Seiriyu from the other side of the door.

"You are absolutely despicable Seiriyu! Your own family member!" yelled Gaara in anger as he stared at the door.

"She betrayed me by confiding to you two! For that, she must die!" yelled Seiriyu as a comeback.

Gaara moved his attention from the door to the table to see Izuka feverishly working on Mioka's wound.

"Any luck?" asked Gaara as he watched the Lady Sage at work.

"No. The bolt hit her dead center in the heart. She's lost too much blood. I can't save her." said Izuka in a saddened voice as she hopelessly continued to try to heal Mioka's wound.

"It's okay. I did what I could and that's enough for me." whispered Mioka hoarsely as the light began to dim from her eyes.

"Mioka, we are so sorry we let this happen to you." said Gaara in a saddened tone as his face became a stoic mask.

"It's okay Kazekage-sama. All I wish for is for my cousin to be stopped. If I won't be here to see that happen, then so be it." she told him as she looked at the ceiling while taking her last breath.

Izuka stopped healing Mioka's wound and closed her eyes as her free hand clenched into a fist. Gaara crossed his arms as he continued to look at the now-dead Mioka.

"She risked her life to help us. We can't let her memory be in vain." said Gaara in a cold voice as he looked at the door.

"So what are you and the Lady Sage going to do? Stop me?" asked Seiriyu from behind the door as he cackled away.

"Gaara, what are we going to do? With Seiriyu's power and the Lightning Twins' at his side, it doesn't really look good for us." said Izuka as she walked over to Gaara''s side.

"I know, but I think I have an idea on how to get out of here without Seiriyu and the Twins' knowing." said Gaara as he looked at Izuka with a new glint in his eyes.

"I'm all ears." said Izuka as she held her fan to her side.

"Good, cause this involves one of your elemental forms." said Gaara as he got closer to Izuka.

He leaned his head over to Izuka's ear and whispered his plan to her. Izuka's eyes widened before she looked at him.

"You think that will work?" she asked him curiously.

"It's our best shot." he told her as he looked at the door.

"Alright, if you say so." said Izuka as she took a step back from him. She unclipped a green jewel from her chain whip and threw it up in the air while doing hand signs underneath it.

"Element Style: Earth Shift Jutsu!"

End of Chapter 34

**A/N: Please review**


	35. Time to Talk

Chapter 35: Time to Talk

Seiriyu and the Lightning Twins both looked down at the ground to see a faint green light emanate from within the record room.

"I see. The Lady Sage must have transformed into one of her other elemental forms. I wonder which one she chose this time around." replied Seiriyu as he looked up at the door.

Aki and Maki didn't respond or speak a suggestion.

"Anyway, there is no point for changing your looks Lady Sage! You and the Kazekage should just give up now!" exclaimed Seiriyu as he pounded his fist against the door.

Neither Gaara or Izuka responded to Seiriyu's demand.

"If you give up now, I'll go easy on you and make your punishments quick!" said Seiriyu in a teasing tone.

Still, no one answered from within the room.

"Maki! Aki! Break down the door!" commanded Seiriyu as he moved away from the door.

"Yes sir!" said the twins in unison as the two stepped forward.

The twins summoned bolts of lightning to both of their palms. The bolts of lightning grew bigger and bigger and combined to form a ball of electricity that was twice the size of their heads. The twins used their combined strength to hurl the ball to the door. The door instantly broke free and crashed to the ground with a sickening slam. The ball of electricity soon evaporated into thin air.

Seiriyu smirked at the twins' handiwork.

"Nicely done" commented the dictator as he walked into the now darkened room, the twins following after him.

Seiriyu looked around the totally dark room and tried to sense out Gaara's and Izuka's chakra, but to no avail.

"What the hell!" he exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the twins. "I can't feel the Lady Sage's or the Kazekage's chakra anywhere within this room. Aki, bring some light in to this place."

"Yes sir" replied the female twin. She raised up her left pointer finger up into the air and summoned a bolt of electricity to the digit. The bolt then shot up to the center of the ceiling and formed itself into a spherical shape, illuminating the room as it hovered in the air.

"WHAT THE?" exclaimed Seiriyu in surprise as he looked around the room, seeing that plant vines were covering every single inch of the walls and half the floor. There were even some vines growing on the ceiling.

"All I see are plant vines! No Lady Sage or Kazekage!" exclaimed Seiriyu in seething anger as he started to chop some of the vines with his katana.

And that's when the vines fought back.

The vines came to life to grab Seiriyu's right hand, which held his katana, and his legs. The twins rushed to his aid, but were soon caught in the vines as well.

"What witchcraft is this?" asked a frantic Seiriyu as he continued his attempts to pull himself free.

"You don't like what I've done to the place?"

Seiriyu turned his head around to see Izuka and Gaara appear before him. Gaara was slightly smirking at the dictator, but the dictator's attention was targeted at Izuka's new look. Izuka was wearing an emerald green, long sleeved, hooded crop top with an x across the front, loose long pants, and her usual heeled sandals and fingerless gloves. Her hair was now in two unbraided pigtails and her amulet was now in the shape of a green sunflower. Plus, her eyes were now emerald green.

"I'm guessing this is your earth form and that the vines are all your doing?" asked Seiriyu with a tired expression as he continued to struggle with the vines.

"That's right." answered Izuka calmly as she showed him her earth weapon, which was a scythe that held one curved blade at one end of the staff facing one direction while a second curved blade was at the other end of the staff facing the opposite direction of the first.

"That's one impressive weapon you got there." commented Seiriyu as he looked at the scythe.

"Thanks!" commented Izuka as she followed Gaara as he walked away from Seiriyu.

"Where are you two going?" asked Seiriyu as the two walked over to the door.

"To get answers, but don't worry Seiriyu. You and your twin protégées won't be bored for long," commented Gaara as he stopped in front of the doorway. "Izuka if you may?"

"Certainly" answered Izuka in a cold voice. She waved her hands to the vines on the wall opposite Seiriyu and the Lightning Twins. The vines moved on command and slowly made their way over to the three.

"Enjoy!" called Izuka with a smirk as she followed Gaara out the door.

"Like this is going to be the end." whispered Seiriyu through clenched teeth as he watched the vines slowly approach the three.

Meanwhile, Gaara and Izuka made their way back to the stairwell and climbed down the stairs to the 20th floor to their old suite. After they entered the suite, they piled some of the furniture in front of the door to serve as a barricade.

"What should we do now?" asked Izuka as she placed a lamp on top of one of the chairs.

Gaara dropped a chair he held in front of him and turned to her. "I'm out of ideas. Escaping from the record room was all that I could come up with."

Izuka sent him a glum look before letting out a sigh of defeat. "I have to do it."

"What?" asked Gaara in mild confusion as he turned to Izuka.

"Mioka said that Shukaku was the key to finding out the weakness of the Kotowashi Clan's kekkai genkai. If we're going to find out what it is, I need to talk to Shukaku." said Izuka as she gave him a determined glare.

"Absolutely not!" responded Gaara as he gave Izuka a cold glare.

"I have to if we're going to stop Seiriyu." responded Izuka in a cold tone of voice as she walked further into the room. She was soon stopped by Gaara, who grabbed her left arm to stop her from moving.

"Izuka, you haven't been the Sage of the Sixth Paths for very long. I know you've said that you've been getting along with the tailed beasts ever since the war, but you're not on equal terms with Shukaku. He's not going to help us without getting something in return." scolded Gaara as he looked Izuka in the eyes.

"That's why I'm not going to just have a simple mental conversation with the tanuki. I'm going to travel into my inner world to speak with him." said Izuka as she managed to get her arm out of Gaara's grip.

"That's not much better Izzy!" cried Gaara in agitation as he stared his girlfriend down. "With you in your inner world, Shukaku has a greater chance to manipulate you, take control of your body, and create havoc on everybody."

Gaara took off his sand gourd and sat in one of the chairs that wasn't being used for the barricade.

"I just don't want you to go through what I had to go through when Shukaku was within me." he finally said as he placed his head in his hands.

"Gaara," whispered Izuka as she walked over to his side. "You're right."

"For what?" asked Gaara as he looked up at Izuka with solemn eyes.

"About the fact that I haven't been the Sage of the Six Paths for so long, and since I'm the only Sage of the Sixth Paths on this planet, I have to learn new things on my own as time goes. I knew that I had to confront Shukaku eventually and I guess it's going to be sooner rather than later. I have to speak with him in order for us to stop Seiriyu," explained Izuka as she placed a comforting hand on Gaara's shoulders. "You understand, don't you?"

Gaara looked at Izuka's hand on his shoulder before looking away. He did understand the situation, but he still didn't like the idea of Izuka speaking to Shukaku alone.

"I do understand. I trust you Izuka, or whatever name you go by in your Earth form." said Gaara with a sheepish smirk.

"You know what? I'm going to ditch the other names I use. Just call me Izuka from now on, plain and simple." said Izuka with a grin as she walked to the center of the room.

"It's a deal, as long as I still get to call you Izzy." said Gaara as he got up from his seat and retrieved his gourd.

"Eh, whatever." said Izuka as she sat on the ceramic tiled floor Indian style.

"How do you even enter your inner world?" asked Gaara as he stooped down to kneel in front of her with his gourd perched on his back.

"I enter via two ways: when I sleep and when I meditate." said Izuka as she closed her eyes and raised her arms to her sides while her finger only touched at their tips.

"Izuka?" Gaara's call broke her out of her focus momentarily.

"What is it Gaa-?" asked Izuka, but she was cut off as Gaara's lips claimed her own in a passionate kiss while her eyes were closed.

Izuka crawled into a kneeling position and wrapped her arms around Gaara's neck without breaking the kiss while Gaara wrapped his arms around her waist. Their lips molded perfectly against each other as Izuka soon moved her arms so that her hands rested on either side of Gaara's cheeks. They soon broke their kiss to catch their breaths.

"Gaara, what suddenly brought this up?" whispered Izuka as Gaara continued to maintain his hold on Izuka's waist.

"For good luck" answered Gaara as he moved a stray hair strand of Izuka's behind her ear. He soon tightened his hold on Izuka, bringing her closer to his chest for a tight hug. "Be careful."

"I will. I promise I will make this quick." she said as she looked him in the eyes. She pecked his lips for one more kiss before Gaara let her go. She returned back into her meditating position, raised arms and all.

"Make sure no one disturbs me while I'm out of it?" replied Izuka as she looked at Gaara with earnest eyes.

"I promise." replied Gaara with a nod of his head.

Izuka replied with a nod of her own and closed her eyes to concentrate. The next thing she knew, she was in a large corridor similar to the one that led to the Nine Tails prison, except the floor was completely covered in sand. In front of her were two large brass doors that stretched up to the tall ceiling. A sealing tag that had the wind kanji written on it surrounded by a few other kanjis in a circle was smack dab in the middle of the doors. Behind the doors, a large sand tanuki greeted her with a sinister smile.

"Hello Shizukara!" called the tanuki with an equally sinister voice.

Izuka gave him a cold look before answering him.

"Hello Shukaku"

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the Wind record room, Seiriyu and the Lightning Twins were dusting themselves off after they freed themselves thanks to their combined lightning attacks.

"Well wasn't that annoying?" asked Seiriyu as he grasped his katana tightly in his hand. He then turned to the Lightning Twins, who were waiting patiently at his side.

"Let's continue the hunt shall we?" he asked as he walked out the door.

"Yes sir." answered the twins as they followed after the dictator.

End of Chapter 35

**A/N: Please review**


	36. Shukaku Speaks!

Chapter 36: Shukaku Speaks!

"Shizukara, I'm so glad you've decided to visit me in my lovely home." greeted Shukaku as he showed Izuka a smile that showcased all his teeth.

"Cut the chit chat Shukaku. We both know why I've decided to come and visit you after all this time." answered Izuka as she took a step toward Shukaku's cage.

"Aw Shizukara, you've hurt my feelings. I only wanted to greet you to my humble abode." answered Shukaku as he showed a face of mock hurt as he stretched out his arms to emphasize his quaters.

"Maybe if you stopped calling me Shizukara I would be a little nicer to you." answered Izuka coldly as she crossed her arms.

"But isn't that your whole name? What? Am I mispronouncing it Shizukara?" asked Shukaku with a sinister smile as he pronounced her name as _Shiz-uck-kar-a._

"I will only say this once and only once. It's pronounced _Shi-zu-ka-ra._ If you mispronounce my name one more time, there will be severe consequence." answered Izuka coldly as she continued to walk until she was right in front of the cage.

"Like what Shizukaka?" asked Shukaku as he said her full name, changing the last syllable in her name.

Izuka didn't respond. However, she raised her hand, commanding the sand in his cage to swarm around Shukaku.

"Do you really think that controlling the sand within my cage will do you any good? The sand is my domain!" exclaimed Shukaku as he began to laugh maniacally.

Izuka continued to retain a neutral expression as she commanded the sand flying within Shukaku's cage to wrap around his neck. The sand started to Shukaku, getting tighter and tighter with each movement of Izuka's fingers.

"WHAT THE HELL?" cried Shukaku as he tried to break free. "I can't break free!"

"Of course you can't Shukaku. As long as you are within this cage, you can't use your control over sand." explained Izuka as she commanded the sand around Shukaku's neck to become tighter.

"Let me go little girl!" exclaimed Shukaku with a snarl as he struggled to break free.

"Not until you tell me how to stop the Kotowashi Clan's kekkai genkai." answered Izuka as she gave Shukaku a sharp look.

"Fine, I'll tell you! Just stop choking me dammit!" cried Shukaku as he started to struggle for air.

Izuka let a small smirk appear across her face as she commanded the sand to let Shukaku's neck go. As Shukaku gasped for air, Izuka placed her hands in her pockets.

"How can Gaara and I defeat Seiriyu and his kekkai genkai?" Izuka asked the sandy tanuki as he coughed hoarsely.

"Aren't you pushy?" responded Shukaku as he cached his breath.

"I'm on a tight schedule." responded Izuka as she scowled at the one-tails.

"Someone wants to get back to her boyfriend." mumbled Shukaku under his breath. This made Izuka scowl even more.

"Alright . . . I'll tell you how to defeat the Kotowashi Clan's kekkai genkai, but first I need to give you a little history lesson." explained Shukaku as he crossed his arms and laid on the ground.

"A history lesson?" asked Izuka as she raised one of her blonde eyebrows.

"Indeed my little blonde jinchuriki; in order to understand how to stop the Kotowashi Clan's kekkai genkai, you need to learn the history of how the kekkai genkai first came about." Shukaku further explained as he let out a loud yawn.

"I see," responded Izuka as she looked at the ground before staring Shukaku straight in the eye. "Continue"

Shukaku showcased one of his signature sinister smiles before speaking. "Very well then; let's start from when I first met the Kotowashi Clan shall we?"

* * *

**Back in the real world**

Gaara stared at Izuka's face with startled eyes. Izuka's eyes were no longer emerald green. They were half open and were now pitch black except for the irises that were now the same yellow and five star design as Shukaku's were. The only thing that moved however was her mouth, which was speaking silent words and going way too fast for Gaara to read or understand them.

"What is going on in there Izuka?" mumbled Gaara in a voice of agitation and worry as he started to pace around her.

He continued to pace around in a circle when he suddenly heard a sharp sound come from outside the room. A second sound came after the first, twice as loud as the second one. That's when a new sizzling/cracking sound could be heard from behind the door.

"Oh no" whispered Gaara as he commanded his sand to shield him and Izuka just in time before an explosion detonated in front of the suite door, taking out the door and half of the wall. Shards of furniture flew across the suite and some even hit the sand shield, but none made a dent in it. As the smoke cleared, Seiriyu and the Lightning Twins walked into the room from the large opening from where the front door once stood.

"Nice timing on the sand shield Gaara-san, but you and the Lady Sage made a very predictable mistake by coming back to your old suite." commented Seiriyu with a smirk as he crossed his arms.

Gaara lowered his sand shield so that his face was the only part of his body that was visible. He sent an angered scowl straight at the dictator.

"Where's the Lady Sage? Is she hiding behind that sand shield of yours?" asked a curious Seiriyu as he began to rock back and forth like a five year old would.

Gaara didn't bother to answer him.

"I'll take your silence as a yes." said Seiriyu with a smirk as he stopped moving in place. "Lady Sage, won't you show your face?"

Gaara turned to Izuka, who wasn't fazed at all by the explosion since she was still in her inner world.

"Sorry, Izuka can't speak with you right now. Can I take a message?" asked Gaara with a scowl as he returned his stare back to Seiriyu.

Seiriyu let out a small chuckle. "Get him"

The two twins responded by pointing their palms right at Gaara. Lightning bolts shot from their palms at a rapid pace, aimed directly for Gaara. Gaara raised his shield back up just in time to block the lightning strikes. The twins continued their onslaught of lightning strikes, but Gaara's sand shield managed to not break down throughout the whole attack.

"C'mon Izuka; hurry up in there." mumbled Gaara as he continued to hold up his shield while momentarily glancing at the girl behind him.

* * *

**Shukaku's Cage**

"I didn't meet the Kotowashi Clan, the Clan met me." said Shukaku as he let out a sharp yawn.

"They sought you out?" suggested Izuka as she raised her eyebrow once again.

"Indeed, they wanted to learn from me. They wanted to learn how to control the sand and desert like I can. But, their chakra wasn't compatible to mine, so they never were able to master it. The members of the clan are natural lightning element users, not a wind user like myself." explained Shukaku as he gave Izuka a pompous look.

"But they did manage to learn something of yours." suggested Izuka as she leaned against the front of the cage.

"Yes, they learned other things that helped them develop into a very powerful clan, but a very dangerous and unstable clan at that." added Shukaku as a thoughtful look appeared across his face.

"Like your blood thirsty nature?" suggested Izuka as she gave the tanuki a questioning look.

"Exactly, but they also learned something important. They never knew about the potential of their kekkai genkai in the beginning. I was the one who pointed it out."

"You?" Izuka asked as she scratched her arm. "How?"

"When I first watched them come into contact with other people, I literally saw the chakra come out of the ninjas whom the Kotowashis touched. Originally, the Kotowashis' kekkai genkai was limited to the palms of their hands." Shukaku further explained.

"And somehow, you were able to teach them how to enhance their genkai?" responded Izuka with narrowed eyes.

"Indeed, it was simple really. I can gain power by absorbing the wind. I taught them how to do that with chakra, and let me just say they were definitely fast learners."

"How did they even find you in the first place?" Izuka suddenly asked the tanuki as she raised her head to look him straight in the eye.

"I was a nomad that traveled through the desert. My only objective was quenching my bloodlust. With every tribe I found, my bloodlust was satisfied. All the Kotowashis had to do was follow the trail of bodies that I left behind."

"But why did you let them hang around you so much if you're usually a loner?" Izuka asked him suspiciously.

"I saw a little bit myself in them so I let them hang around me. Although, now that I think about it, it was because of them that the First Kazekage found me." Shukaku told her with a scowl on his face.

"All the more reason why you should tell me what the weakness is." responded Izuka with a scowl of her own, but was a little weirded out that Shukaku sounded sentimental speaking his last sentence.

"Touché, young jinchuriki. Touché." responded Shukaku with a knowing smile.

* * *

**Real world**

The onslaught of lightning attacks continued as Gaara continued to hold up his shield to block them, but soon enough, he was starting to get tired.

_I can't keep this up forever._ Gaara thought to himself as he wiped as he started to feel weary.

"Too bad the Lady Sage can't help you get out of this."

Gaara instantly looked up to see that Seiriyu was standing on the ceiling, his gaze instantly locked on Gaara.

"Meditation time must be really important to the Lady Sage if she has decided to leave you out in the cold like this." commented Seiriyu as he kissed his teeth.

Gaara never let his gaze falter as he continued to stare Seiriyu down.

_He doesn't even notice that Izuka's eyes are similar to Shukaku's. He probably can't see them from where he's standing._

Gaara pondered this as he continued to hold his shield up, but that's when he felt the lightning attacks hitting his shield start to lesson.

"What the?" Gaara whispered to himself as he turned and moved away just in time before Maki could land a fist shrouded in lightning on Gaara's left side. Thanks to the surprise attack, Gaara sidestepped out of the way and blasted Maki away with a torrent of sand. That's when Aki went on the attack. She tried to land a few lightning jabs to Gaara's midsection, but Gaara managed to dodge each one.

_This isn't good. They're driving me away from Izuka. I have to get back to her._ Gaara thought to himself as he commanded his sand to grab Aki, holding her in place.

Gaara smirked at his work, but soon it disappeared as he turned around to see Seiriyu with his katana right at Izuka's throat, Izuka's face not even flinching thanks to the trance she was in.

"I wouldn't take another step if I was you," suggested Seiriyu with a sadistic is smile. "If you do, it wouldn't end for your girlfriend now will it?"

Gaara let an angered scowl grace his pale features as he stared at the katana at Izuka's throat, looking menacing in the moonlight that was coming in through the window.

"Let Aki go please. NOW!" yelled Seiriyu as he continued to move his katana closer to Izuka's neck; his blade now touching her skin.

Gaara never moved his gaze from Seiriyu. He moved his hand, commanding for his sand to let go of the female twin. Aki shot Gaara a blank stare before returning to her sensei's side, Maki soon joining her.

"Now, we're going to wait until the Lady Sage comes out of her meditative trance. Judging from her eyes, she must be speaking with the One-Tails and I can't wait for her to tell us what she and Shukaku were talking about." explained Seiriyu as he smiled brightly, but it was giving off a more disturbing effect.

Gaara narrowed his eyes as he commanded his sand to return to his side.

_Izuka, what are you and Shukaku doing in there? Did you get him to talk? _He thought as he brought his hand back to his side.

He'll find out soon enough.

End of chapter 36

**A/N: Please review**

**Birthdays:**

**April 23: Aaroniero Arrurerie (Bleach)**

**April 24: Neliel Tu Odelschwank**


	37. Weakness Revealed

Chapter 37: Weakness Revealed

**Real world**

"This must be getting under your skin doesn't it? Me being this close to your girlfriend and all." replies Seiriyu as he continued to hold his katana right at Izuka's throat as he stared Gaara down.

Gaara never answered as his eyes remained glued to the blade.

"I'll take the stare directed to my black katana as a yes." answered Seiriyu with a small smirk.

"Let her go Seiriyu." replied Gaara as he crossed his arms.

"You are in no position to make commands Gaara. One false move from you and it will mean the end for the Lady Sage. I suggest you cool down a bit and wait it out until the Sage has come back to the real world." suggested Seiriyu as he never lessened his hold on his weapon.

Gaara let out a small breath as he let his arms fall to the sides after a tense few minutes passed by.

"Now that's a good Kazekage." replied Seiriyu with a sinister smile as his twin protégées looked on with blank stares.

* * *

**Izuka's inner world**

"So, what is the weakness of the Kotowashi Clan's kekkai genkai?" asked Izuka as she leaned on one of the bars on Shukaku cell.

"It's actually quite simple my dear jinchuriki. Every ninja's chakra pathway system has eight paths that limit the flow of chakra in the person's body correct?" asked Shukaku as he propped his head on his sandy paw.

"Indeed" answered Izuka as she raised an eyebrow at the tanuki.

"Do you mind naming them for me? I'm a bit fuzzy on the subject." asked Shukaku as he displayed a mischievous smirk on his mug.

"There is the Gate of Opening, the Gate of Healing, the Gate of Life, the Gate of Pain, the Gate of Limit, the Gate of View, the Gate of Wonder, and finally the Gate of Death." answered Izuka with a blank stare.

"And there's your answer right there. In order to nullify the kekkai genkai, you would need to attack and nullify at least three of the gates, one of those gates must be the Gate of Death. The others are all fair game.

"Why the gates though? How are they connected to the kekkai genkai?" asked Izuka as she gave Shukaku a thoughtful look.

"That is also simple my dear. The Kotowashi Clan's kekkai genkai is the ability to absorb an opponents' chakra by just touching their skin. The absorbed chakra immediately enters the clan member's chakra pathway system and instantly goes straight to one of the Eight Paths, where it is stored and used for later purposes. Damaging one of those gates can lead to serious disruption of the chakra system." explained Shukaku as he let out a loud yawn.

"But why is the Gate of Death the one gate that must be targeted?" asked Izuka as she fiddled with one of her pigtails.

"The other six gates can recover from a disruption, but since the Gate of Death is located in the heart, it targeted, not only will it be disrupted, but it will disrupt all the other Gates, therefore disrupting the entire chakra pathway system, but it must be that last Gate that is disrupted."

"As well as kill the Clan member." added Izuka in realization as her eyes made contact with Shukaku's own.

"That's the idea," replied Shukaku with a smirk. "I hope this info will be useful to you."

"It will be," answered Izuka as she started to walk away from the cell. "Considering the fact that you actually have been helpful, I'll keep it in mind for the future."

"I'll expect something in return you know?" answered Shukaku as he narrowed his eyes at her back.

"The question is: What do you want that I have not given you?" replied Izuka as she disappeared from Shukaku's line of sight.

Shukaku started to ponder the question in his mind before letting out a howl of annoyance.

"She's got me there. You are growing into one fine Sage of the Sixth Paths Shizukara Uzumaki" replied Shukaku as he laid his head down for a nap.

* * *

**Real world**

Gaara continued to stare down Seiriyu as the dictator began to whistle a cheery tune while the Lightning Twins stood stoically at his side. He stopped whistling when he started to feel Izuka's chakra begin to rise.

"What's this?" asked Seiriyu as he looked down at the Sage.

Gaara's eyes widened in slight surprise as he let out a silent sigh of relief as he saw that Izuka's eyes were returning to normal.

"What? What's going on?" asked Izuka tiredly as she quickly blinked her eyes.

"Took you long enough," said Seiriyu as he took Izuka's right arm and twisted it behind her back as he continued to keep his katana right at Izuka's throat. "Get up!"

Izuka didn't even bother to move.

"I said GET UP!" he yelled as he twisted her arm painfully behind her back.

Izuka grimaced in pain as Gaara looked on at the situation with a cold stare as the Lady Sage reluctantly got up from the ground. When Izuka was able to stand at her full height, Seiriyu leaned his head near Izuka's right ear.

"What did you and Shukaku talk about?" he asked her curiously as he snuck a look at Gaara.

"Like I would tell you." answered Izuka as she stared Seiriyu right in the eye.

"Not the answer I wanted to hear," responded Seiriyu as he let his katana's blade start to push against Izuka's neck. "I'll ask again. What did you and Shukaku talk about? Tell me or else Gaara will have to witness his girlfriend's death right before his eyes."

"Like you would do that," muttered Izuka as she looked away from Seiriyu. "Do you know what you would cause if you killed me right here? The Five Great Nations would definitely retaliate and attack Amegakure if you killed me. Plus, I know a few of the tailed beast would definitely not be too happy with you once I'm gone."

Seiriyu's face took on a look of contemplation as he began to think about Izuka's words.

"Listen to her Seiriyu. We both know that she's right. Kill her now and you will be public enemy number one." added Gaara as he crossed his arms.

"After thinking about it, I have decided that you two make a good point, so I won't kill you Lady Sage. But I do have other ways to get what I want." responded Seiriyu as a torrent of black lightning erupted from his palms and enveloped Izuka's entire body

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" yelled Izuka in complete pain as Seiriyu's black lightning circled her entire body.

"IZUKA!" exclaimed Gaara as he started to command his sand to attack, but stopped when he saw that the Lightning Twins had started to surround him.

After a tense minute passed by, Seiriyu stopped his attack and Izuka's body slumped in the dictator's grasp. Smoke was visibly coming off of her body.

"If you don't want another round of lightning to travel throughout your body, I suggest you answer me quickly. What did you and the one tailed beast talk about when you were in your inner world?" asked Seiriyu for a third time as he held Izuka's limp body up.

"I'll tell you, but you should know one other thing Seiriyu." huffed Izuka as she weakly opened one of her eyes.

"And what would that be?" asked Seiriyu as he began to lessen his hold on his katana.

"You and those twins are not the only ones that can manipulate lightning." answered Izuka as regular lightning began to envelop Seiriyu.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" yelled Seiriyu as he let go of Izuka's body as the lightning continued to attack him. Izuka fell to one knee as she was let go, but sensed an attack coming her way. She turned to see Aki and Maki come her way, both with lightning covering their hands. However, Gaara's sand grabbed the two by their legs and threw them into the wall, rendering them unconscious. The lightning attacking Seiriyu finally dissipated and Seiriyu slumped down to the ground breathing heavily.

"YOU BITCH!" he cried as he stood up, but Gaara's sand tackled him into the wall, rendering him unconscious too.

"What a vulgar mouth you have," commented Gaara as he walked over to Izuka's side and helped her to her feet. "We need to move."

"Right!" agreed Izuka as she started to move, but her legs gave way before she could take her second step. Lucky for her, Gaara caught her before she could face plant to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Gaara asked her as let her sit up on her knees.

"I'm fine. Just taking on the black lightning jutsu and using a lightning justu of my own really takes a lot out of me." replied Izuka as she slowly got up to her feet.

"That was one of your lightning jutsus?" asked Gaara as he let Izuka get to her feet on her own.

"My control over the elements is similar to how you control sand. I don't need to use a jutsu for small attacks. Only the larger ones." explained Izuka as she grabbed her scythe from the ground.

"And what you just did to Seiriyu was just a small lightning attack?" asked Gaara as the two made their way to the door.

"I've been practicing." was all Izuka said as the two made their way to the staircase. The two made their way down the long staircase until they were at the same floor of the banquet. The two ran in through the front door and looked around to see that all the guardsmen were either killed, injured, or tied up. They ran over to Temari, Kankuro, Daisuke, and Ryu, who were currently tying up the last of the rain ninjas with rope.

"I see you have everything handled here." commented Izuka as the two ran up to the group.

"Yeah; all the guests that weren't ninjas hightailed it outta here, including the Rain Daimyo and his two advisers." replied Daisuke as he finished tying the last knot.

"Where's Seiriyu?" asked Ryu as she reverted back to her miniature form.

"Probably back in our old suite with his twin protégées all unconscious." answered Izuka as she crossed her arms.

"Did you just say twin protégées?" asked Kankuro as he took off his hat to scratch his hair.

"Yes; he has a pair of twins younger than us as his students who come from a clan whose kekkai genkai is lightning manipulation. They don't need jutsus or seals to use their attacks." Gaara explained as he brushed his hand through his hair.

"Poor kids" commented Temari as she closed her fan.

"The good news is: I know how to stop Seiriyu's kekkai genkai." said Izuka as she resealed her scythe and returned to her regular form, kimono and all.

"How did you find out?" asked Temari.

"From Shukaku" answered Izuka with a shrug.

"WHAT?" exclaimed Ryu, Daisuke, and Kankuro in unison as they stared at the Sage.

This prompted Izuka and Gaara to explain everything that happened between them and Seiriyu in the upper levels of the tower. When they were finished, everyone else had solemn looks on their faces.

"May Mioka's soul rest in peace." Daisuke muttered to the group as his hands clenched into fists.

"We need to avenge her death one way or another. So all we have to do is damage three of Seiriyu's chakra gates in order to nullify the kekkai genkai?" asked Ryu as she perched herself on Izuka's shoulder.

"Yes; the first two Gates can be anyone of the eight except for the Gate of Death. The Gate of Death must be the one that's targeted last in order to neutralize the kekkai genkai. It also means sealing his death." explained Izuka as her eyes started to become droopy.

"Are you okay Izuka? You look a little sleepy." asked Kankuro as he walked over to her position.

"Seiriyu was able to come into contact with my skin. He must have absorbed a good amount of my chakra." explained Izuka as she started to slump to the floor.

"That's not good." mumbled Daisuke as he watched Gaara kneel down to Izuka's and helped her up to her feet.

"With Izuka in a weakened state, we need to come up with a plan to stop Seiriyu." replied Ryu as she got on Temari's shoulder.

"But how do we get Seiriyu into a false sense of security so that we can target his chakra gates?" asked Temari as she began to rack her brain for ideas.

Gaara looked around at his comrades before settling his stare at Izuka, who was staring straight ahead while leaning on him for support. That's when a light bulb turned on in his head.

"I may have an idea."

End of chapter 37

**A/N: Please review!**

**Birthdays**

**May 13: Tesla Lindocruz (Bleach)**

**May 15: Kankuro (Naruto)**

**May 17: Emilou Apacche (Bleach)**


	38. The Bait

Chapter 38: The Bait

After a half hour ticked by, Seiriyu woke up to find the suite completely empty except for his students, who were now starting to wake up from their respective la la land.

"The Kazekage and Lady Sage will pay for their insolence. Let's go you two!" cried Seiriyu as he grabbed his katana and stood up from the ground. Aki and Maki nodded their heads obediently and followed the dictator out the suite and into the hallway.

"Those two probably made their way down to the main hall to regroup with their comrades" said Seiriyu with a determined look on his face as he walked over to the damaged stairwell, the twins hot on his heels. The trio ran all the way down the stairwell till they reached the floor where the main banquet hall was. As soon as they walked into the hallway, they noticed that the hallway was void of any activity. The halls were completely quietly except for the sounds of their sandaled footsteps walking on the carpeted floor.

"Sensei, don't you think it's a little too quiet around here. We can't hear any activity going on in the main hall." asked Maki, which was the most he spoken all night.

"Of course it's too quiet. They must be planning something." snapped Seiriyu as they reached the banquet hall's entrance. When they walked into the large room, they found bodies of guards strewn all around the floor and balconies; they were either dead, completely unconscious, or just tied up. Seiriyu scanned the area until his eyes locked on Izuka, who was sitting at her old seat at the main table near the dance floor staring at him intently.

"Well, isn't this a nice little surprise. You're all alone and completely powered down," said Seiriyu with a small chuckle as he walked toward the table. "Aki, Maki, search the area will ya?"

"Yes sir!" replied the two twins as they disappeared from view.

"Are you sure about that? They will be greatly outnumbered if they encounter my comrades." replied Izuka as she raised an eyebrow at the dictator's command.

"I've trained them well. They will be able to hold their own in battle." said Seiriyu as he draped his katana over his shoulder.

"Someone's very confident in his students." said Izuka as she crossed her arms.

"They're my pride and joy. Now on to you Lady Sage; why are you out in the open like this? Are you supposed to bait me into a trap?" asked Seiriyu as a smirk appeared across his face.

"That was what we were going for." mumbled Izuka with a defeated sigh as she slumped down in her seat.

"Well, good try anyway," says Seiriyu as he started to walk across the dance floor to Izuka. "Aren't you going to try to attack me?"

"Why should I? You've drained a good amount of chakra." countered Izuka as she looked away from the dictator.

"That's true. Thanks for the donation by the way." replied Seiriyu with a smirk as he walked closer to the table.

"You are not welcome." replied Izuka as she turned around to see Seiriyu standing right in front of her.

"Even though I did absorb a good amount of your chakra, you probably still have plenty more of it to expend. Can't you ask one of the tailed beasts within you for a loan?" asked Seiriyu as he laid a hand on the table.

"Not unless it's for absolute emergencies. The tailed beasts believe that I don't need their help to deal with you." says Izuka as she slowly stood up from her seat.

"I see they have a lot of faith in you." said Seiriyu as he started to walk around the table.

"Sometimes I wonder how I even gained their trust in me." said Izuka as she started to walk away from Seiriyu, who was now on the same side of the table as her.

"It's simple. Before you became the second Sage of the Sixth Paths, you were only known as the 10 tailed jinchuriki of Konohagakure. Only one other person has been the 10 tailed jinchuriki in history, and that is something in itself. If you could handle being the 10 tailed jinchuriki, then they must have though you could certainly handle them." explained Seiriyu knowingly as he began to play around with his katana.

"That was a very thoughtful answer you have come up with Seiriyu-chan." replied Izuka as she crossed her arms.

"Oh! So were now on an honorific basis now?" asked Seiriyu as he leaned against the table.

"I was only being polite." replied Izuka as she started to walk away again, but Seiriyu grabbed her kimono sleeve, stopping her in her tracks.

"Why so nice all of a sudden? Aren't you still mad that I plan to have my ninjas invade Sunagakure in a matter of hours?" asked Seiriyu as he whispered his questions into Izuka's ear.

"I'm just showing humility in defeat, that is all." replied Izuka as she continued to stare straight ahead.

"Ah, so you surrender then?" asked Seiriyu as he began to circle her with a thoughtful look on his face.

"I said that I admit defeat. I never said I was going to surrender. Defeat and surrender are two different things." replied Izuka as she looked at Seiriyu.

"That is true Izuka, but it would be much simpler to surrender to me." replied Seiriyu as he grabbed Izuka's arm and pulled her over to his body.

"Is that so?" asked Izuka as she looked at the dictator straight in the eye, noticing that he put his katana back into its sheath.

"Indeed," replied Seiriyu as he placed a hand on Izuka's chin, lifting her face closer to his. "I can make things a whole lot simpler if you and your pals just surrender to me. I may even cancel the invasion."

"Oh really? You would even cancel the invasion?" asked Izuka as she narrowed her eyes at the dictator. "I find that last sentence hard to believe."

"Because it isn't," replied Seiriyu as he moved his face dangerously close to Izuka's own. "In truth, I would probably put the advisor and the Kazekage's siblings in prison for breaking into tonight's celebration and for what they did to my guards. Your dragon Ryu can stay with you here in the tower."

"And Gaara?" asked Izuka as she raised one of her eyebrows at the dictator as she felt the dictator grab her wrist with his hand that held her other arm. He had both her wrists now in one hold.

"He will perish along with his village. I made the mistake of not finishing him off back in the arena. I will not make the same mistake twice. Once I see him again, he will die." answered Seiriyu coldly as his grip on Izuka's wrists began to tighten. "And you will be left to look for a new boyfriend my dear."

Izuka scowled at what Seiriyu said and tried to break free from Seiriyu's grip on her chin, but Seiriyu held her head still.

"There's no use. You are weak in my grip Lady Sage." said Seiriyu as his sadistic smile began to rear its ugly head.

"Let me go!" said Izuka in defiance as she continue to fight within Seiriyu's grip, but it remained iron tight.

"Why don't you call up another lightning attack, or was the first one all you can muster up with what little strength you had left?" asked Seiriyu as he continued to tighten his hold on Izuka's wrists.

Izuka stifled a squeal of pain as she started to feel a few of her blood vessels popping within her wrists. Seiriyu smirked at the obvious discomfort evident on Izuka's face and his smirk began to turn into a full blown smile.

"I know a way you can forget about your discomfort." replied Seiriyu as his smirk began to lesson. Before Izuka could reply, Seiriyu slammed his lips on Izuka's own. Izuka's eyes widened in complete horror as she let out a muffled scream of anger as she tried to break the kiss, but again, Seiriyu's hand kept Izuka's head in place.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Seiriyu broke the kiss and turned around to receive a kunai right in the abdomen, right where the Gate of Limit was located. The surprise attack made Seiriyu fully let go of his hold on Izuka as he was blown back a few feet. Izuka fell to her knees as she wiped the taste of Seiryu's lips off her mouth with her kimono sleeve while staring at the stunned dictator, who was clutching his stomach as blood began to pool out the wound, the kunai lying in a small pool of blood in front of him.

Izuka began to rub her bruised wrists when she felt the cool touch of a pair of familiar hands on her shoulders.

"I am so sorry Izuka," whispered Gaara as he kneeled down to whisper in her ear.

"For what?" asked Izuka as she looked at the redhead while making sure she kept an eye on the dictator, who was seething in absolute anger.

"I never expected Seiriyu to take things that far. I never expected him to kiss you." replied Gaara in a slightly strained voice as he stared at the dictator with cold eyes.

"Don't worry about it. Right now, we have bigger things to worry about." replied Izuka as she placed a hand over one of Gaara's own. Gaara nodded his head in agreement as he helped the Lady Sage to her feet.

"A surprise attack? Very ninja of you. Aki, Maki, to me!" called Seiriyu in his loudest tone of voice, but they never came immediately after his call.

"AKI! MAKI!" called Seiriyu, but he still saw no sign of the twins.

"There's no use for calling them cause they won't answer."

Seiriyu turned to his left to see Daisuke and Kankuro holding the twins, who were both unconscious in their grasps.

"Damn you!" cried Seiriyu as he started to move to his right, but he stopped once he saw Temari ready with her fan. Seiriyu heard a large boom and turned around to see Ryu standing behind him in her actual form, a smug smirk already playing on her lips.

"Face it Seiriyu," replied Gaara in a stoic manner as the dictator turned to him with utter disgust in his eyes.

"You're surrounded."

**A/N: Please review**

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY ITACHI UCHIHA! (June 9)**


	39. Pushed to the Limit

Chapter 39: Pushed to the Limit

Seiriyu stood completely surrounded as the Lady Sage, her dragon, and the Sand Nin stood around him, all poised and ready to strike.

"Surrender? . . . Like I would ever do that! Not in a million years!" exclaimed Seiriyu as he looked at Gaara in absolute rage.

"You are surrounded. We've immobilized your guards and your protégées. You are now alone in this fight. Give up while you still can!" exclaimed Izuka as she leaned on Gaara for support.

"Nice little speech for someone so weak. Allowing me to get close to you was a fatal mistake Lady Sage, and now you and your friends here will pay dearly for it." cried Seiriyu as he took his katana out and ran straight for Izuka and Gaara, but Temari managed to blow him away easily with her fan, sending him into a pillar that was holding up one of the balconies.

"Wait for our signal you two!" commanded Temari as she looked at her little redheaded brother and his girlfriend. "The rest of you, let's move!"

"Right!" called Ryu, Kankuro, and Daisuke in unison. Daisuke and Kankuro put the twins down on a nearby table before joining Temari and Ryu to take on Seiriyu, leaving Gaara and Izuka to themselves.

"Are you sure you're alright Izzy?" asked Gaara in concern as he observed the blonde girl, who was breathing heavily.

"I'll be fine Gaara. I'm just really tired that's all. I never should have let Seiriyu get that close to me." answered Izuka as Gaara wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her better.

"Don't worry about it Izuka. We needed to get Seiriyu's guard down so that we can hit one of his chakra gates. You played your role as decoy beautifully, now all we have to do is wait for the others to create another opening for us." explained Gaara as he looked on at the fight.

"But I'm afraid you're going to have to do most of the fighting. I don't think I'll be able to summon enough strength to continue." said Izuka as she looked him in the eyes.

"You can Izuka. I know you can do it." replied Gaara as he looked back onto the battlefield.

"I'll try, but I need to warn you. If I push myself too hard, I won't be able to control myself." replied Izuka as Gaara watched the change happen in her eyes. Her ice blue ones shifted to scarlet red and her ever invisible pupils appeared and became slits, signifying that she wasn't that far away from going into vampire mode.

"If things go badly for us, the other you may be our only hope to beating Seiriyu." said Gaara in defeat as he turned his attention back to the fight. Seiriyu.

"That may be so, but will you be able to stop me once everything is done and Seiriyu is defeated?" asked Izuka as her eyes returned to normal.

" . . . We'll see when we get there." Gaara said for an answer as he continued to watch the battle. Kankuro unleashed a barrage of kunai at Seiriyu from Black Ant's chest compartment, but Seiriyu managed to block them with his blade. Daisuke used a jutsu that created quicksand right at Seiriyu's feet, rendering him immobile for a short while.

"GAARA, IZUKA NOW!" cried Temari as she looked at the two. Gaara commanded a torrent of sand to wrap itself around Seiriyu, making him drop his katana in the process.

"Now he can't move. It's your turn Izuka." said Gaara as he looked at the blonde.

"Right!" said Izuka as she managed to stand up fully by herself. She summoned lightning to her right hand, and it formed itself into a bow. She brought her left hand perpendicular to the bow and as she did that, a spark of lightning formed itself into an arrow. She aimed the arrow right at Seiriyu's stomach, where the Gate of View was located. She fired the arrow and it struck its target, hitting Seiriyu square in the stomach. Seiriyu coughed up a large amount of blood as the arrow struck his stomach. The lightning bow dissipated from Izuka's hands and she fell to her knees completely exhausted.

"Izuka, are you going to be alright?" asked Gaara as he knelt down to his knees to tend to the Lady Sage.

"I think I will be fine." said Izuka as she continued to breathe heavily. She looked up to see Seiriyu looking straight at her, his eyes completely filled with malice as he continued to grimace through the pain.

"I see; you guys are going after my eight chakra gates. That was what you spoke to Shukaku about wasn't it? You spoke with the one tailed demon in order to find out my kekkai genkai's weakness." said Seiriyu as he narrowed his eyes.

"Gee, what gave that away?" said Izuka as she suddenly went into a coughing fit, much to Gaara's concern.

"Looks like someone really did push themselves too much." said Seiriyu as he chuckled at Izuka's predicament.

"Cut the crap Seiriyu. You can no longer move your limbs thanks to the sand you're trapped in. Once we strike your Gate of Death, it will officially mean the end of your kekkai genkai, you, and your planned invasion." said Temari with cold eyes as she looked at the dictator.

"Who said I couldn't move Temari?" asked Seiriyu with a smirk. Suddenly, his sand prison was no more as it was obliterated into thin air by his black lightning. Moving with blazing speed, he quickly cut through Temari's fan and slashed her right in her chest.

"TEMARI!" yelled Kankuro as he released Salamander from its seal. Along with Black Ant, Kankuro unleashed a second barrage of kunai at Seriyiu, but Seiriyu used his lightning like tentacles and batted the kunai away like flies.

"KANKURO; LOOK OUT!" yelled Daisuke as he stood in front of the puppeteer, just in time to be struck by Seiriyu 's lightning right in the chest. Another bolt of lightning rushed by Daisuke and struck Kankuro, his puppets, and Ryu. In seconds, they were all unconscious. Seiriyu smirked at his handiwork before turning his attention to the Kaekage and Lady Sage, both looking on in horror.

"Only two to go." said Seiriyu as he pointed his katana straight at the two, his black lightning swirling around his body.

"Gaara, what do we do now?" whispered Izuka in a voice so low that only Gaara could hear.

"What else can we do but fight?" asked Gaara in a strong voice as he commanded his sand to attack Seiriyu. Seiriyu's lightning met Gaara's sand blow for blow as the two hit. Seiriyu moved around the two combating elements to attack Gaara and Izuka head on. Izuka saw this and placed a hand to the ground, making the earth rise to form a rock wall, blocking Seiriyu's path. Seiriyu only smirked and ran up the wall, using it as a launch pad to lift himself in the air. He channeled his lightning into his sword and dived sword first, Gaara his intended target. Gaara saw this just in time and commanded some of his to block Seiriyu, catching him in a sand web. Instead of letting the sand hinder him, Seiriyu used it for his advantage, channeling the lightning through the sand, hitting Gaara and Izuka dead on. If it weren't for Izuka creating a purple barrier, protecting both her and Gaara from the attack that is.

"Izuka?" asked Gaara in disbelief as he watched as Izuka had her palms raised up, keeping the barrier up as the black lightning came at them.

"I won't be able to keep this up much longer." said Izuka as she continued to breather heavily, just as the barrier started to show signs of cracking.

"I'll handle this." said Gaara as he commanded his sand to catch Seiriyu, who broke free from the sand minutes ago. The black lightning ceased, letting Izuka relieve herself from using her barrier, which was staking a toll on her. When the barrier dissipated, Izuka collapsed right onto Gaara's chest, back first.

"Izuka! Stay with me! Don't fall asleep now!" said Gaara as he continued to command his sand, making it chase Seiriyu around the ballroom, but the dictator kept invading it every time.

"I'm . . . trying not to. But . . . Gaara, I'm beat. I don't have enough . . . chakra left in me to . . . continue fighting." she told him as she felt Gaara wrap an arm around her waist. "I'll collapse . . . any second . . . if I continue . . . to push myself."

"We wouldn't want to push the Lady Sage to her limits now do we?" asked Seiriyu as he overheard their conversation. "Push her too much, and she may end up in a coma."

"You be quiet!" said Gaara in a cold voice. The sand continued to surge after the dictator, successfully grabbing onto his ankle and throwing him into a nearby table.

"That should take him out of commission for a little while." said Gaara with a small smirk as he turned to Izuka. "Do you think feeding on my blood one more time will help give you back some of your strength?"

"Maybe, but I don't want to take away so much that it would weaken you." said Izuka as she looked Gaara right in the eye.

"Then take enough so that you would have enough strength to heal the others." said Gaara as he looked over at the others. Temari was unmoving as she lied in her own pool of blood while Daisuke, Ryu, and Kankuro lied on the ground unconscious, little slivers of black electricity traveling throughout their bodies.

"Okay" said Izuka as she turned back to Gaara. He unzipped his coat so that his neck showed once again. Izuka leaned her head to his neck, placing her lips right on his cool skin, sinking her fangs into his flesh and drawing his blood. Gaara let a small moan escape his lips as he wrapped his arms around her waist. It was done as fast as it started as she defanged herself from Gaara's neck, kissing the puncture marks closed.

"I'll heal the others, you hold off Seiriyu as long as you can." said the Lady Sage as she escaped Gaara's grasp and ran over to Temari first. Gaara watched Izuka until she started to heal Temari's wound before getting us from the ground and slowly walking towards Seiriyu, who was starting to get up from the shards of table he was on top of. The Kazekage quickly commanded his sand to hold Seiriyu down, binding his ankles and wrists together.

"Give up." said Gaara in a cold voice.

"Never!" replied Seiriyu as he cocked his head to the side. "I will never give up. I will not stop till I have my revenge and I've already got a part of it."

"What do you mean?" asked Gaara as he narrowed his eyes.

"Well, don't you see it?" asked Seiriyu as he managed to sit up in his sandy shackles. "I've taken your siblings and allies out of the equation. And your girlfriend is next."

Gaara's eyes widened in shock and horror as he turned his head to see the lightning that was enveloping Daisuke's, Ryu's, and Kankuro's bodies come together to form one large lightning bolt, Izuka the intended target as she continued to heal Temari's wound. It fired as soon as Gaara blinked.

"IZUKA MOVE!" yelled Gaara in his loudest tone of voice yet. He watched in horror as the lightning zoomed toward Izuka's back, stopping dead in its tracks an inch away from her as a wall of regular lightning blocked it's path.

"WHAT THE!" yelled Seiriyu in surprise as he looked on at the scene. "HOW CAN SHE HAVE THAT MUCH CHAKRA LEFT IN HER SYSTEM?"

Gaara never answered the dictator's question as he watched as Izuka stopped healing Temari's wound, even though it was still only half closed. She brought her arms to her side as a dark purple chakra aura enveloped her body. Her hair came out of its messy bun by itself, turning a silvery white as it fell down her back. Herhead slowly turned to face the Kazekage and the dictator and Gaara let out a sharp gasp as he finally realized what was going on.

That last attack pushed Izuka over the edge. The Lady Sage was gone for the moment as Seiriyu did something that few were able to do. Seiriyu made the vampire within Izuka come out of hibernation.

There is going to be some hell to pay.

**A/N: Please review!**


	40. Goodbye Seiriyu!

Chapter 40: Goodbye Seiriyu!

Izuka's eyes shifted from their usual ice blue, to scarlet red; the pupils becoming visible and stretching to become slits. Her silver hair fell down her back and stretched all the way to her knees as she stood up from her spot on the ground and she even looked a few inches taller. She turned toward Gaara and Seiriyu, never making a sound as she moved. Both Gaara and Seiriyu stared at her awestruck at her unearthly beauty as she stared at the two with a stoic expression on her face.

"So this is the monster that lives within the Lady Sage."

Gaara abruptly turned to Seiriyu, who continued to stare at Izuka.

"Instead of being cloaked in her tailed beast's chakra, she becomes a hybrid of who she was." says Seiriyu as he snuck a look at Gaara. "Half bat, half human. A vampire; a freaking bloodsucker. And you are actually dating her? Commendable."

Gaara turned around to see Izuka right in front of him, her expression never changing as he took an abrupt step back.

"Did you really just take a step back?" asked an incredulous Seiriyu as he looked at the Kazekage. "You must be afraid."

He was soon shut up by a crisp slap to the face at the hands of Izuka herself. Blood fell down Seiriyu's chin as he spit out some blood and a couple of teeth on the ground. He turned his head back to Izuka and was instantly startled by how she stared at him. Her eyes were filled with anger, hatred, and complete distaste for the dictator. He felt like a meek, small child as Izuka's stare bore down on him. It was soon too much for him to take as he looked away and stared at the ground.

"You can't even look me in the eye." said Izuka in a subzero voice as she stared down at the dictator with absolute malice in her eyes. "You pathetic little weakling."

"WHAT YOU SAY YOU B-" Seiriyu wasn't allowed to continue his sentence as Izuka promptly smacked him in the cheek once again.

"Watch what you say Seiriyu, or else you will be losing your tongue next." she said to him as she slowly crossed her arms. She turned her attention to Gaara, who was standing a couple of feet away from the two, watching as the events unfold before him.

"Gaara, please check on the others. I'll handle this rat myself." commanded Izuka as she nodded her head to the others. Gaara looked at Seiriyu before turning to face Izuka. They locked eyes before Gaara nodded his head in understanding. He ran over to the others, leaving Izuka alone with the dictator. He reached the others just as Daisuke, Ryu, and Kankuro were all waking up.

"What the hell happened? Gaara?" asked Kankuro as he looked at his brother.

"A lot," Gaara answered bluntly as he ran over to Temari, who was still unconscious. "Daisuke, I need you to heal Temari."

Daisuke slowly got up from his spot on the ground and ran over to the Kazekage and his wounded sister. He knelt down in front of the wind mistress and began to heal the rest of Temari's wound.

"This wound is already half healed. Whose work is this?" asked Daisuke as he turned to Gaara.

"Izuka" answered Gaara as he turned away. Everyone else except for Temari followed Gaara's gaze and all looked on in astonishment at what they saw.

"Is that really Izuka?" asked Ryu as she looked on in astonishment as her stare continued to be glued to Izuka's back.

"Yes; she was pushed to her limits and her half vampire self awoke from hibernation." answered Gaara as he continued to stare at her and the dictator. Izuka continued to stare down at Seiriyu with her stare as cold as ice, never moving her body in the slightest bit. Seiriyu, on the other hand, looked completely different from when Gaara first left the two. Gaara saw that Seiriyu didn't look cocky or resentful; he looked downright scared for his life.

"He's has such a reaction by just looking at Izuka's stare. I can't imagine what he must be going through, even though he does deserve it nonetheless." said Kankuro as he retrieved his puppets with his chakra strings. Gaara nodded as he watched as Izuka finally moved out of her crossed arm position. She reached down to touch Seiriyu's cheek, but as soon as her fingers barely touched the prone porcelain cheek. She took her hand back and threw him into the wall with one swift flick of her wrist. The wall cracked into pieces, but never truly broke through when Seiriyu hit it. Seiriyu collapsed to the ground as some of the wall pieces fell on top of him. The others were stunned beyond disbelief as they watched the entire seen unfold.

"Just like that! I can't believe it! She just threw him like a rag doll!" said Kankuro in astonishment.

"Her power is unbelievable. I couldn't even sense a trace of her chakra when she was not moving, but with that one movement of her arm, I did feel it. And it was incredible." said Daisuke in disbelief as he continued to heal Temari's wound. Gaara didn't say a word, but stood up from his spot on the floor and began to slowly walk over to Izuka.

"What the hell are you doing Gaara?" asked Kankuro as he called out to his brother, but Gaara didn't listen as he continued to walk over to Izuka, stopping when he was five feet away from her.

"You better not be planning to interfere Gaara." was all Izuka said as she began to walk over to Seiriyu. "If you try to come in between me and the dictator, I willl crush you along with him."

"Izuka, I want to be the one who ends this." said Gaara as he looked at his girlfriend. Izuka stopped in her tracks and slowly turned her head to look at Gaara.

"Why?" asked Izuka as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Seiriyu wanted revenge on Sunagakure because of what my father did to his clan. If anyone should end him, it should be me." answered Gaara as he started to gather his sand back into his gourd. Izuka snuck a look at Seiriyu, who was starting to get up from the ground, before turning to Gaara.

"Fine, but do not mess this up. You won't get another chance if you do." said Izuka as she walked passed Gaara and over to the others, taking them by surprise.

"Thank you." said Gaara without looking at Izuka. He walked over to Seiriyu as the dictator sat on the ground to catch his bearings.

"You want to finish me off instead of letting your girlfriend do it? You must be an idiot!" called Seiriyu in disgust as he clutched his cheek, which was bleeding profusely.

"I'm no idiot. I want to end you to finish this endless saga. You are a tortured soul Seiriyu. You will not stop till you get what you want. As Kazekage of Sunagakure, I have to do whatever is in my power to protect my village. And if that means I have to kill you to do it, then I will do it without haste." answered Gaara as he crossed his arms.

"You bloody imbecile!" called Seiriyu as his left eye twitch. Running on full blown adrenaline and rage, he jumped from the ground and lunged for Gaara with a kunai in hand. Gaara jumped out of the way and without turning around, sent some sand to attack Seiriyu. When he heard the sound of metal touching the ground, Gaara turned around to see his sand sticking out of Seiriyu's chest, right through his Gate of Death.

"This can't be . . ." muttered Seiriyu as he took his last breath, his body slumping down to the ground as the sand left his body.

"It was your own ignorance and lust for revenge that brought your downfall." muttered Gaara as his sand returned to his gourd. He turned to face the others to see that everyone was staring at him with somber faces, except Izuka, whose face was still a neutral mask, and Temari, who was still unconscious as Daisuke continued to heal her wound. He walked over to the group after making sure Seiriyu was fully dead, his face a unreadable mask itself.

"Are you okay?" asked Kankuro as he sealed away his puppets.

"I'm fine. . . I'm just glad it's finally over." said Gaara as he crossed his arms.

"Not entirely . . ." everyone turned to Izuka as she looked toward the exit. "We still have the invasion force to deal with."

"It's handled."

Everyone turned to the exit to see the Amegakure Council members walk into the room, all of them with somber looks on their faces.

"You have defeated our dictator in battle. None of us wanted this war to even happen, but Seiriyu used his power to overrule us to try to get what he wants. Now that he's dead, as head council member, I officially decree that the invasion force is canceled." said a council member with a long beard that almost touched the ground. "We apologize for all that has happened here in these past few days."

"You can rightfully apologize by appointing a leader that has the country's best interest in heart instead of his own." said Izuka matter of fact as her silver hair shone in the light.

"Understood Lady Sage." said the elder as he bowed his head. A small murmuring noise could be heard throughout the room and everyone turned to see Temari weakly opening her eyes.

"What's going on?" she asked as she looked around the room. Her eyes instantly went to Izuka, who was now passing the Amegakure elders and walking toward the exit. "Is that who I think it is?"

"Yep!" answered Ryu as she and the others watched as Gaara quickly followed after her. Gaara followed Izuka until they reached the empty 1st floor lobby, where they saw the rain pouring outside. The purple aura reappeared and enveloped Izuka's whole body, her vampire side disappearing as she returned to normal. Before she could fully fall on the ground, Gaara managed to catch her in his arms.

"Izuka, are you alright?" asked Gaara as he watched Izuka's face in concern. Her eyes were closed as she slowly breathed in and out to catch her breath. Soon enough, Izuka slowly opened her eyes to see Gaara clouding her vision.

"Gaara?" she breathed as she placed a hand to her forehead. "What happened to me a few minutes ago?"

"You went to that other place . . . again." said Gaara for an answer as he continued to hold the girl in his arms. His eyes went to the rosary connected to Izuka's amulet. The jewel within the middle of the rosary was pitch black instead of its usual purple.

"This rosary is getting weaker and weaker each time I go berserk." said Izuka as she sat up in Gaara's hold, looking out into the pouring rain as she did so.

"To tell you the truth, you were a lot more reasonable this time around. You actually allowed me to deliver the final blow on Seiriyu instead of doing it yourself." said Gaara as he helped Izuka to her feet.

"That doesn't sound like Ryuna." muttered Izuka as she placed a hand underneath her chin.

"At least everything is over. Seiriyu is dead, the invasion has been canceled, and everyone else has made it out okay." said Gaara as he put a hand on her cheek too bring her face to face his. "We've won Izuka."

"Good, because I'm officially beat." said Izuka with a tired sigh as she leaned her face into Gaara's hand just as Gaara wrapped his other arm around Izuka's waist. They both shared a small laugh before staring into each other's eyes. Gaara pulled Izuka's face to his and their lips connected for a kiss, one filled with celebration, passion, and relief as the rain continued to pour down on the Rain Country.

While all this was happening, somewhere outside the city, there was a horse drawn carriage carrying the Rain Daimyo and his two assistants back to his castle.

"Sir? What do we do about the invasion force if Dictator Kotowashi is defeated in battle?" asked one of his assistants as she looked at the Daimyo.

"It's regardless whether or not Seiriyu wins or loses, the invasion will go on. We'll just have to bide and plan our time more wisely. Mark my words girls, not only will Sunagakure fall, but so will the other Four Great Shinobi Lands too." said the dictator with a smirk as the carriage continued to leave Amegakure in the distance.

**End of Part 1!**

**Part 2 starts next chapter! Please review!**


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